IN normal times, it is the world’s most visited museum, but the pandemic has rendered viewing the Louvre’s famous artworks impossible…until now. Everything is now available to view online, but not everyone is happy.

 

Everything?

The Louvre has made all of its 480,000 artworks available to view on its website, showcasing pieces from the Paris museum’s eight departments, ranging from the Louvre’s paintings to Islamic art and Renaissance sculptures to Egyptian antiquities.

 

Including its most famous items?

The Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo are among the standout pieces, with museum bosses saying the aim is to allow its masterpieces to be appreciated even amid the pandemic’s restrictions.

 

How does it work?

The interactive site allows visitors to explore the museum’s collections room by room and is available in French, English, Spanish and Chinese. It has been specially designed for optimal use on mobiles.

 

The hope is it inspires people to visit?

When possible, yes. Jean-Luc Martinez, the Paris museum's president-director, said: "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.”

 

But behind the scenes…

All is not well. In France, the state is in charge of cultural institutions and it is up to President Emmanuel Macron to decide in the coming weeks if Martinez will be appointed for a third term. This had seemed a certainty, until his opponents unleashed “a downpour of stink-bombs”, as France’s Le Figaro newspaper put it. Now half a dozen names are in the frame for his post.

 

What’s the problem?

Some have turned their noses up what they see as the museum’s focus on social media and cultivating an online presence, amid concern over any detraction from the authenticity of going to the Louvre in person.

 

But pre-social media….?

…many would admit to battling the crowds to get a photograph of the Mona Lisa and then leaving. But in a recent article in the French edition of The Art Newspaper, Jean-Michel Tobelem, an associate professor at the Sorbonne, spoke of the “Instagramisation of the museum” and pondered whether Martinez’s “interest in monetising the Louvre’s artistic assets” tarnishes its reputation.

 

More than this?

Not everyone has appreciated the Louvre’s recent run of commercial partnerships - you can now build the museum in a special Lego set, for example. And in a deal with a Chinese e-commerce giant, it also allowed its famous works of art to feature on items such as thermos flasks and phone cases. The decision to rent the gallery out for filming of Netflix TV series Lupin and a 2018 Beyonce music video also struck the wrong note with ardent art lovers.


The Louvre is not alone?

The National Gallery is also going mobile with an online version of an exhibition on Jan Gossaert's 16th century The Adoration of the Kings which closed just days after opening in December. Sensing the Unseen: Step into Gossaert’s Adoration, will take users through the painting broken down into different sections to allow them to zoom in and share the work on Instagram.

 

In the streaming era?

Museums looking to offset lockdown losses are broadly looking to online content. Last November, the National Gallery and the Design Museum both held virtual tours of popular exhibits.

 

Meanwhile?

The Musée du Louvre remains closed “until further notice” as the virus rages through France. There are around 28,000 people in hospital with Covid, with around 5000 in intensive care.