(Photo: Unsplash / Léo Nguyen)
The model and star of reality television programs Kendall Jenner, made the latest sensational visit to the largest museum in the world—the Louvre Museum in Paris. When the museum is closed during the day, Jenner filmed herself at night and took to Instagram to showcase her nocturnal adventure in the museum while barefoot. This peculiarity of her positioning has been attracting much attention on social media, further contributing to a growing network of her public identity in this city.
Jenner's Parisian Week
Jenner, who is also popular for 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians,' has been in Paris for the past week. Besides her trip to the Louvre Museum, she was featured in a Vogue world show where she combined her creativity in fashion with equestrianism by riding a horse. Jenner consequently started posting pictures and videos of her Parisian exploits on Instagram; she was shadowed by her boyfriend, Puerto Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny.
In the photos she uploaded on June 26, she poses in front of some significant pieces at the Louvre. These include The Wedding at Cana, painted by Paolo Veronese in 1563, a sculpture of Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss, which was done by Antonio Canova in 1787, a painting portraying part of the ceiling of the Galerie d'Apollon, and a clear view of the ancient Greek and Roman sculptures in the Salle des Cariatides. One of the striking pictures depicts Jenner stepping on the naked floor with her two bare feet and placed in front of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, which, for the sake of the picture, is placed in the glass case with an extra layer of plexiglass. The second photo, also worth mentioning, depicts one of the most well-known marble sculptures in the world, the Venus de Milo of the 2nd century BCE.
Celebrity Visits to the Louvre
This isn't the first time a celebrity has been allowed similar freedoms in the Louvre Museum, one of the most notorious museums in the world. For instance, in 2018, the mogul couple of Beyoncé and Jay Z shot most of the "Apeshit" music video at the museum. Numerous masterpieces were filmed dramatically in the video, and the Louvre's website provides a list of the highlights of the exhibit based on the sequence of the video.
Though Jenner's visit has energized people to visit the Louvre, it is one of the most famous museums in the world today. It is the largest art museum in the world in terms of space occupied and the size of its collection: The Louvre occupies an area of almost 80,000 metropolitan square meters. It houses hundreds of thousands of items, including paintings, clothes, and photographs, boasting over 380,000 pieces of artwork alone, making it a significant art center for international visitors.
Historical Background
When it comes to history, The Louvre does not fall short of the size it occupies today. Built as a medieval fortress by Philip II in the context of the war against England in the 12th century, the place was chosen by the king carefully, namely, it was necessary to protect the ford and cross the Seine here. The fort's design was so immense that it can be said that the fort set the tone for other bastions during its time.
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The gallery was initially inaugurated on March 10, 1793, as the Muséum des Arts, which became the first gallery in France when it was opened to the public. Originally founded with fewer than 600 pieces within the museum's collection, it should represent the nation's artistic accomplishments and compete with the art collection of Rome. In WW II, Works of art were evacuated from the Louvre Museum, and more than four thousand pieces were taken to a château in Loire Valley with the help of Jacques Jaujard, the high-rank civil servant, to avoid their exposure to Nazi plunder and devastation.
Also belonging to the Louvre Museum, the glass pyramid located at the Cour Napoléon was designed by the Chinese-American architect I. M. Pei. Though there was a debate when the decision to choose a foreign architect for such a monumental project was made, today, the pyramid is considered a recognizable symbol of the museum and the city of Paris.
Global Attraction
The Louvre is considered the most visited museum in the entire world. In 2018, it attracted 10.2 million guests, a record boosted by the viral fashion ability of Beyoncé and Jay-Z's music tape. Its rich stock is represented by six out of twenty-four known free spirit works of Leonardo da Vinci. It can engulf the interest of numerous individuals, who can get an opportunity to observe a considerable part of the maestro's creations at once.
Kendall Jenner's barefoot exploration of the Louvre underscores the museum's enduring appeal and unique offerings. From its origins as a fort to its status as a global artistic corner, the Louvre continues to appeal to and inspire callers from all walks of life. Whether through the lens of a celebrity's Instagram post or the rich history within its walls, the Louvre remains a testament to the enduring power of art and history.
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