Art & Exhibitions
The Louvre is (Still) the Most Visited Museum in the World
Photo via Flickr/KennyTeo
Photo via Flickr/KennyTeo
With 9.3 million visits racked up during 2014, the Louvre has retained its title as the most visited museum in the world. Further statistics disclosed by the museum reveal that up to 70 percent of visitors came from abroad in 2014, with Americans, Chinese, Italians, British, and Brazilians leading the pack. More than half of all visitors to the Louvre last year were under 30.
The best-loved treasure in the Parisian museum is, unsurprisingly, the Mona Lisa (1503-17), which this past year even received the unforgettable visit-cum-selfie of power couple Beyoncé and Jay Z (see “Beyoncé and Jay Z Pose with Mona Lisa”). Another sought-after highlight is the ancient Greek marble sculpture Winged Victory of Samothrace (190 BC), which is now back on display after a careful restoration.
It seems that the ambitious plans of the Louvre’s new director Jean-Luc Martinez are already yielding good results (see “Which Five European Museum Directors Are Doing the Best Job?“). Appointed in April 2013, Martinez has launched a large refurbishment project, which he hopes will help increase the number of yearly visitors by 30 percent, reaching the 12 million milestone by 2025 (see “Louvre Gets Most Ambitious Facelift in 30 Years” and “Louvre Expects 12 Million Visitors Per Year by 2025”).
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