Visiting the Louvre museum is a must for anybody traveling to Paris, it is the biggest museum in the world, and the most visited as well. Although the most famous Louvre artwork is our one and only Mona Lisa, the museum houses amazing pieces, among them paintings and sculptures, with a heavy historical value that you definitely must see at the Louvre.

If you have time, do visit it room by room, as there are amazing artworks that are not mentioned in this list of top things to see at the Louvre that can end up being more interesting for you than the Louvre masterpieces listed here.

But if you have just a few hours to visit it, don’t worry, I just broke down a list of Louvre highlights for you, covering the most important Louvre artworks to see, including Louvre museum famous statues, famous paintings.

What to See at the Louvre Museum: 20 Must See Artworks

History of the Louvre Museum

The building that now houses the Louvre Museum was originally built as a fortress in the late 12th century under Philip II. In the 16th century, it was reconstructed to serve as a royal palace. The royal family used to live there until 1682 when Louis XIV decided to move to the Palace of Versailles.

During the time it was used as a royal palace, the Louvre Palace was extended much time before assuming the form we have today. It covers the total area of ​​652,300 square feet.

When Louis XIV finally moved the royal residence to the Palace of Versailles in 1682, Louvre became the house of many art academies.

When Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were imprisoned during the French Revolution, they were moved to the Tuilleries Palace, a palace adjacent to the Louvre.

The building was turned into a museum in 1793 and now divided into eight curatorial departments. There are five floors to visit, so be prepared!

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Must see things at the Louvre

Again, this is a huge museum, and if I were to recommend countless pieces to see, I would definitely write a very long post that you would be bored with reading. There are many famous paintings and sculptures, but seeing them all at once, may sound tiring and boring, I will not lie.

But for those that don’t have that much of time to visit everything, or that don’t want to get museum bored, I made this shortlist of Louvre masterpieces.

There are many famous paintings and sculptures, but seeing them all at once, may sound tiring and boring, I will not lie.

Feel free to add or remove, or personalize your list, and if you feel like giving us some tips, do share your favourite Louvre artworks in the comments!

ALSO READ MUSEUMS THAT OFFER VIRTUAL TOURS.

Law Code of Hammurabi

A Babylonian law code carved in stone dated back to 1754 BC. The Law Code of Hammurabi is the longest Babylonian text to have survived and one of the oldest deciphered writings of significant length in the world. It is also considered the first written economic formula.

It is made up of 282 laws and includes its punishments as well. The laws were based on the Law of Talion, and include the phrase that made this historical piece famous: “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth”.

Many of the laws written here are still in use nowadays such as fines for monetary wrongdoing, inheritance laws concerning how private property is taxed or divided.

Location: Ground floor, room 3, Richelieu wing.

Winged Human-Headed Bulls

Ok, not so mainstream, but this is one of my favourite pieces in the museum. These huge bulls represent Lamassus an Assyrian god, they used to guard the entrance of temples and palaces in ancient Assyria as far back as 3000 BC.

The pair displayed her in Louvre guarded each gate to Sargon II’s Mesopotamian capital (today Khorsabad).

Location: Ground floor, room 4, Richelieu wing.

Salle Philippe Pot Tomb

This tomb is so full of details! Take your time to look at the faces of the mourners. The realism in this statue is impressive and, the position of the mourners gives a sense of movement, looking like they are walking in the slow pace of a funeral procession.

At Phillippe Pot’s feet lays an animal, which accordingly to Louvre is supposed to be a lion, but accordingly, to me, it is a dog, you choose who you trust better.

Location: Ground floor, room 10, Richelieu wing.

Top Tip If you have more time to appreciate the artworks of Louvre and to learn more about the history of each piece, I suggest you buy the guided tour ticket for the Louvre Museum here , you will get a more immersive visit this way.

Venus de Milo

Possibly representing Aphrodite, Venus the Milo is one of the biggest representations of classical female beauty and considered one of the most important artworks in the Louvre.

It was discovered in the Island of Melos, hence the name, and its arms were already missing, various positions were already suggested but, especially the right hand is still a mystery. Some belief initially, the statue was adorned with metal jewellery.

Location: Ground floor, room 7, Sully wing.

The Dying Slave and the Rebellious Slave

It wouldn’t be fair if we didn’t put Michelangelo in this list! Michelangelo was famous for his fantastic realism in sculpting the human form and depicting emotions, and these two statues are good examples of it.

The two slaves were originally sculpted to be part of the tomb of Pope Julius II, who also requested Michelangelo to paint the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel.

The tomb of Pope Julius II was supposed to be the greatest monument built after the Egyptian pyramids, however, after many delays and cost cuts, the tomb ended up smaller than planned, and most of the artworks of Michelangelo were placed in other private collections. instead.

Location: Ground floor, room 4, Denon wing.