The world-famous French art museum the Louvre, which houses masterpieces like Venus de Milo and Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, has made it easier for art lovers to get a glimpse of its 482,000 works of art without having to travel to Paris.
Recently, the Louvre made its collection available to view online for the first time ever. The database allows visitors to search the artwork by album (i.e. Egyptian Antiquities or Sculptures) or do a more advanced search by artist name, place of origin and collector, among other search options.
Unfortunately, there is not much art in the Louvre’s collection that comes from Latin America. A spokesperson for the museum told Remezcla via email that “the Musée du Louvre holds very few works from Latin America because it has been created from French royal collections.”
In 2013, the Louvre said it planned to acquire more art from Latin American artists but has yet to follow through. At that time, the only painting by a Mexican artist in the Louvre’s collection was José Sanchez’s The Visitation. That still seems to be the case after a quick scan through the museum’s new online database.
Still, with 482,000 works of art, there’s bound to be something that catches your eye. Here are a few pieces in the Louvre’s collection with ties to Latin America.
The Visitation
The work of art was made by 17th-century Mexican artist José Sanchez circa 1680. It was donated to the museum by a French collector in 2004.
L'Onde du Midi
Venezuelan artist Elias Crespin created this kinetic work in 2020. It is made up of 128 metal tubes that are suspended from wires and animated by motors.
La Hacienda de Velasco, Province de Hidalgo
Italian artist Eugenio Landesio painted this landscape of the Mexican region of Hidalgo in 1857. It is said to be one of 10 landscapes of the area. There are three others in the Louvre collection.
Indiens du Mexique
This drawing of natives in Mexico was part of a bound album from an unknown French artist. Some of the drawings in the album were illustrations of The Three Musketeers.
Textile
This fitted mariachi jacket has silver metallic thread embroidery on the collar and floral designs. It was made in Mexico between 1800 and 1900.
Figurine
The sculpture is of a man seated playing an instrument (possibly a conch). He’s wearing two circular ear ornaments and a headdress. The piece was discovered in Mexico.
Simón Bolívar
This medallion of Venezuelan military leader Simón Bolívar was created by French sculptor David D’Angers in 1832. The inscription reads: “I separated from the command/ When he persuades me/ That you distrusted/My detachment/ Last proclaimed.”