The Louvre has opened a new chapter in its history with the inauguration of the Gallery of the Five Continents, a redesigned exhibition space created in close collaboration with the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac. Located in the Denon Wing, the gallery proposes a radically open way of looking at art history—one that brings Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania into a shared conversation.
The project arrives 25 years after the opening of the Pavillon des Sessions, launched in 2000 under President Jacques Chirac as a landmark statement on the equality of cultures. While that earlier initiative introduced non-Western masterpieces into the Louvre, the new gallery goes further. It abandons geographic and chronological silos in favor of dialogue—between objects, civilizations, and ideas that span continents and centuries.
At the heart of the Gallery of the Five Continents are 130 major works drawn from the collections of the Louvre and the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, complemented by loans from institutions including the Guimet Museum, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the National Maritime Museum, and partners in Nigeria. Sculptures, ritual objects, antiquities, textiles, and artworks are placed side by side to reveal shared concerns rather than separate histories.
Instead of asking where objects come from, the gallery asks what questions they address. Power, spirituality, the relationship to nature, and visions of the world form the thematic backbone of the display. A ceremonial object from Oceania may echo the symbolism of a medieval European sculpture; an African figure may resonate with ancient Mediterranean forms. The result is a reading of art history that feels fluid, comparative, and deeply human.
For the first time, 42 works from the Louvre’s own collections—including Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Near Eastern, Islamic, and Byzantine art—are shown alongside 77 masterpieces from the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac. The curatorial approach is deliberately collaborative, emphasizing sensitivity and reciprocity rather than hierarchy. Visitors are encouraged to make their own discoveries as they move through pairings and groupings shaped by visual, symbolic, and conceptual affinities.
Interpretation plays a central role. Each section features trilingual texts in French, English, and Spanish, while individual works are accompanied by expanded bilingual labels. A dedicated pathway addresses the history and provenance of the objects, offering transparency and context without interrupting the aesthetic experience.
Architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte’s original museographic clarity has made this new reading possible, allowing the space to feel both rigorous and welcoming. Access to the gallery is through the newly reconfigured Porte des Lions, which also provides direct entry to the recently renovated Italian and Spanish painting galleries on the first floor. The entrance area has been fully redesigned, with improved accessibility, new visitor services, and the addition of the Café des Lions.
Overlooking the Jardin du Carrousel, the café offers a distinctly Parisian pause, serving pastries and breads made daily at the Boulangerie du Louvre. For the first time in a major museum, visitors can enjoy baked goods prepared on-site in a working bakehouse beneath the Pyramid.
With the Gallery of the Five Continents, the Louvre signals a shift in how museums can tell global stories—by acknowledging difference, embracing connection, and allowing artworks from across the world to speak to one another on equal terms.
Credit: Art Daily
The project arrives 25 years after the opening of the Pavillon des Sessions, launched in 2000 under President Jacques Chirac as a landmark statement on the equality of cultures. While that earlier initiative introduced non-Western masterpieces into the Louvre, the new gallery goes further. It abandons geographic and chronological silos in favor of dialogue—between objects, civilizations, and ideas that span continents and centuries.
At the heart of the Gallery of the Five Continents are 130 major works drawn from the collections of the Louvre and the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, complemented by loans from institutions including the Guimet Museum, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the National Maritime Museum, and partners in Nigeria. Sculptures, ritual objects, antiquities, textiles, and artworks are placed side by side to reveal shared concerns rather than separate histories.
Instead of asking where objects come from, the gallery asks what questions they address. Power, spirituality, the relationship to nature, and visions of the world form the thematic backbone of the display. A ceremonial object from Oceania may echo the symbolism of a medieval European sculpture; an African figure may resonate with ancient Mediterranean forms. The result is a reading of art history that feels fluid, comparative, and deeply human.
For the first time, 42 works from the Louvre’s own collections—including Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Near Eastern, Islamic, and Byzantine art—are shown alongside 77 masterpieces from the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac. The curatorial approach is deliberately collaborative, emphasizing sensitivity and reciprocity rather than hierarchy. Visitors are encouraged to make their own discoveries as they move through pairings and groupings shaped by visual, symbolic, and conceptual affinities.
Interpretation plays a central role. Each section features trilingual texts in French, English, and Spanish, while individual works are accompanied by expanded bilingual labels. A dedicated pathway addresses the history and provenance of the objects, offering transparency and context without interrupting the aesthetic experience.
Architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte’s original museographic clarity has made this new reading possible, allowing the space to feel both rigorous and welcoming. Access to the gallery is through the newly reconfigured Porte des Lions, which also provides direct entry to the recently renovated Italian and Spanish painting galleries on the first floor. The entrance area has been fully redesigned, with improved accessibility, new visitor services, and the addition of the Café des Lions.
Overlooking the Jardin du Carrousel, the café offers a distinctly Parisian pause, serving pastries and breads made daily at the Boulangerie du Louvre. For the first time in a major museum, visitors can enjoy baked goods prepared on-site in a working bakehouse beneath the Pyramid.
With the Gallery of the Five Continents, the Louvre signals a shift in how museums can tell global stories—by acknowledging difference, embracing connection, and allowing artworks from across the world to speak to one another on equal terms.
Credit: Art Daily
