Adventures in the Louvre

Starred review from January 15, 2025
A grand tour of a museum like no other. Deftly weaving history and memoir, formerNew York Times Paris bureau chief Sciolino offers a spirited journey through France's most storied museum, the Louvre. At various times a fortress, a public inn, an arsenal, a prison, a mint, and a workplace for artisans, the king's palace became a "people's museum" as a result of the French Revolution, open to all. Its original royal collection quickly grew, augmented with art from the homes of guillotined aristocrats, Versailles and other palaces, churches, and monasteries. Added to and remodeled as it expanded, with artworks gained through conquest and plunder, it became a sprawling edifice, with over 400 rooms in an assortment of architectural and decorative styles. The galleries, stretching half a mile, exhibit some 30,000 of its half million holdings; it employs more than 2,300 people, including curators, restorers, guards, and guides, working on 25 different levels. Sciolino reports on her conversations with many of them as she encountered specific pieces of art (theMona Lisa, theVenus de Milo, theWinged Victory of Samothrace, to name a few), or she follows themes such as food, animals, jewels, and even shoes. The Louvre has so many shoes in its paintings that it published a coffee-table book on footwear. Sciolino takes unexpected paths to find quiet corners: a small collection of Impressionists (the bulk being at the Mus�e d'Orsay), tribal art, and one of the world's largest collections of frames. Although the Louvre does not offer a queer-themed tour, unlike other major museums, Sciolino notes its extensive queer art collection. Her celebration of a beloved venue also highlights outposts in the French city of Lens, in Abu Dhabi, and in M�tro stations featuring a host of reproductions. Illustrated with 53 black-and-white photos. An intimate visit with a generous, genial guide.

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Starred review from April 1, 2025

Most readers who want a book about a museum will pick the one with the most pictures. This often recreates the closest feeling to being there in person and makes a great souvenir. However, former New York Times Paris bureau chief Sciolino (The Seine: The River That Made Paris) uses mostly text and minimal pictures to create a book that feels like a personal, one-on-one tour through the Louvre. Tales from current and former staff of the museum, as well as Sciolino's own tips, add to the allure for those who have already visited and will inspire others to do so. Current social themes, such as depictions of women and LGBTQIA+ representation, are covered in individual chapters, with Sciolino offering meaningful discussions rather than fully criticizing one side or the other. No previous knowledge of the Louvre is necessary for this read, and the history of the museum is thoroughly and enjoyably discussed. Chapters can be read as stand-alones for readers researching a specific subject. VERDICT A spiritual, relevant, and historical literary visit to the Louvre when it is impossible to go in person.--Elizabeth Chandler

Copyright 2025 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 7, 2025
New York Times contributing writer Sciolino (The Only Street in Paris) takes readers on an affectionate and expressive tour through the labyrinthine halls of the “best-known and yet least understood museum in the world.” Combining history, interviews, and firsthand experience, she discusses famous artworks (including the 2,200-year-old Greek sculpture of Nike); explores how the Mona Lisa—which became a “global superstar” after being stolen in 1911— “enslaves and empowers” the museum with its complex logistical and financial hurdles and pull on first-time visitors, 80% of whom visit primarily to see the painting; and delves into the sometimes-exclusionary nature of art history exemplified in clashes between the museum and contemporary culture (in 2018 the museum staged Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s music video for “Apeshit”—viewed by some as a showy display of wealth and by others as an empowering attempt to open the “historically white space” to a broader audience). Undergirding the author’s conversations with curators, art historians, and museum guards is her own appealingly intimate—if occasionally gushing—narrative of falling in love with the museum and in the process discovering the “sensual dialogue emerges when human beings discover the wonder in works of art.” The result is a charmingly effusive love letter sure to delight art history buffs. Photos.