They even caused a scandal in the art world by covering up its Hellenistic origins in order to claim that it was older, and therefore more valuable, as it was believed at the time that Classical art was of a higher order than Hellenistic art. The French also helped things along since acquiring the statue from the Greek island of Melos (or Milo, in French) in 1821, they have promoted the heck out of it. Its age (over 2,000 years) beauty, and iconic missing arms have all combined to make it one of the most enduring representations of classical female beauty in existence.

The Venus de Milo is one of the most famous classical depictions of female beauty.Īlong with the Mona Lisa and Michelangelo’s David, this is probably the most recognized piece of art in the world.

Not bad for a lady who is 2,200 years old and counting.Īntonio Canova was one of the last Italian masters of marble carving. Although we don’t know the sculptor, the technical mastery of the work as well as the way it imagines elements around it (like the wind ruffling the Victory’s dress) have made it one of the single most influential sculptures in the history of Western art. Only a fraction have survived to the present day and the Winged Victory of Samothrace is perhaps the best of the bunch. Not only are these original greek statues much older than their Roman copies – often by hundreds of years – they are also much, much rarer. If you have ever been to an art museum anywhere, you have definitely seen more than one classical figure chiseled from stone in the Greek style by an ancient hand.What you probably don’t know is that the vast majority of those statues are copies made by Romans of Greek originals.

When is an old marble statue not just another old marble statue? When it’s one of the oldest and most influential statues in the world. So without further ado, here’s our non-exhaustive and completely subjective short list of the top 13 things to see at the Louvre. But there is definitely a short list of artworks that you shouldn’t miss. There are 35,000 objects on display out of a collection of 380,000 so as much as we hate to say it, seeing it all in one visit is simply not an option. If you’ve ever tried to see it by yourself, you know that it can be extremely daunting to find your way around, see what you want to see, and well, not buckle under the weight of so many masterworks under the same roof. The Louvre is not only one of the best art museums in the world, it’s also one of the biggest. Book yours now for an unforgettable experience in the city of lights! In March 2017 Walks began offering our signature, small-group walking tours at some of the most exciting attractions in Paris.

Quicken 2017 home and business features