The Louvre is the world’s most famous museum. Its vast collection of 480,000 works has been digitised and it’s now available to view online. 2.7 million people visited the museum in 2019. The Louvre’s collection ranges from world famous works like Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa. It also included far more obscure artworks. The collection is too vast to ever be fully explored by one person in a lifetime.
Jean-Luc Martinez, the president of the Louvre, had this to say: “Today, the Louvre is dusting off its treasures, even the least-known. For the first time, anyone can access the entire collection of works from a computer or smartphone for free, whether they are on display in the museum, on loan, even long-term, or in storage. The Louvre’s stunning cultural heritage is all now just a click away… I am sure that this digital content is going to further inspire people to come to the Louvre to discover the collections in person.”
The collection is available to view online now for free. Opening up the museum’s entire collection is quite an impressive feat. The website has been improved and it’s easy to navigate your way through the collection.
You’ll find many works by LGBT+ artists and works exploring LGBT+ themes. Pretend you’re a Beyonce and Jay Z in the Apeshit video as you wade through the collection. Some of our favourite LGBT+ works at the Louvre include Michelangelo’s ‘prigioni’ and Leonardo’s tribute to ‘Salai’, his love interest. The Louvre has four busts of Antinous, Emperor Hadrian’s lover. You’ll also find works exploring gay rights from the era of the French Revolution.
LGBT+ art and history has often been hidden. So many LGBT+ stories are lost to us: queer people had to live in the shadows and they left few traces in the past. Artists can present queer themes in indirect ways. What could be more homoerotic than Michelangelo’s David?
Discover the world’s greatest art collection online now for free.