Timeline Of The Louvre
The Onion looks back at the most important events in the history of the Paris art museum.
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1793: France’s revolutionary government opens Musée Central des Arts in the Grande Galerie of the Louvre to manage spillover crowds from the Hard Rock Café Paris.
1814-1832: Bourbon Restoration period sees collections grow thanks to generous donations of artwork by plundered nations.
1886: Museum makes history by acquiring its first female statue.
1940: Nazi soldier pretty underwhelmed by remaining collection.
1957:
Mona Lisa placed behind bulletproof glass after unsuccessful assassination attempt.
1980: Following expensive restoration of hundreds of paintings, Louvre begins forbidding visitors from touching or licking the art.