Kirkus Starred Review

A grand tour of a museum like no other.

Deftly weaving history and memoir, former New York Times Paris bureau chief Sciolino offers a spirited journey through France’s most storied museum, the Louvre. At various times a fortress, a public inn, an arsenal, a prison, a mint, and a workplace for artisans, the king’s palace became a “people’s museum” as a result of the French Revolution, open to all. Its original royal collection quickly grew, augmented with art from the homes of guillotined aristocrats, Versailles and other palaces, churches, and monasteries. Added to and remodeled as it expanded, with artworks gained through conquest and plunder, it became a sprawling edifice, with over 400 rooms in an assortment of architectural and decorative styles. The galleries, stretching half a mile, exhibit some 30,000 of its half million holdings; it employs more than 2,300 people, including curators, restorers, guards, and guides, working on 25 different levels. Sciolino reports on her conversations with many of them as she encountered specific pieces of art (the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, to name a few), or she follows themes such as food, animals, jewels, and even shoes. The Louvre has so many shoes in its paintings that it published a coffee-table book on footwear. Sciolino takes unexpected paths to find quiet corners: a small collection of Impressionists (the bulk being at the Musée d’Orsay), tribal art, and one of the world’s largest collections of frames. Although the Louvre does not offer a queer-themed tour, unlike other major museums, Sciolino notes its extensive queer art collection. Her celebration of a beloved venue also highlights outposts in the French city of Lens, in Abu Dhabi, and in Métro stations featuring a host of reproductions. Illustrated with 53 black-and-white photos.

An intimate visit with a generous, genial guide.

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Additional Reviews and Praise

As the former Paris bureau chief for the New York Times and a longtime resident of the city, Elaine Sciolino was well-positioned to write Adventures in the Louvre. Her experience as a war correspondent also proved useful in navigating the fortress turned palace turned museum.... Mixing history and memoir, Sciolino leads readers through the landmark’s many galleries, shares favorite artworks both famed and lesser-known, and gets to know the staff responsible for the museum and its treasures. — Publisher’s Weekly

Sciolino takes readers on an affectionate and expressive tour through the labyrinthine halls of the “best-known and yet least understood museum in the world.” Combining history, interviews, and firsthand experience, she discusses famous artworks… explores how the Mona Lisa—which became a “global superstar” after being stolen in 1911— “enslaves and empowers” the museum… and delves into the sometimes-exclusionary nature of art history…. The result is a charmingly effusive love letter sure to delight. — Publisher’s Weekly

Like me, Elaine Sciolino doesn’t remember much from her first visit [to the Louvre], but living in Paris since 2002, she’s had countless hours to lean into its magnitude and to learn about how it operates by talking with curators, guards, and fellow museum-goers. Elaine brings her journalist’s perspective for making sense of it all in her latest book…helping us find new ways to enjoy the massive Louvre….She writes about its allure, romance, and even its secrets. — Travel with Rick Steves

“People are always asking the best way to ‘do’ the Louvre, and I’ve finally found it: with Elaine Sciolino’s Adventures in the Louvre by your side. An indispensable, enchanting companion reminding us that the art world’s most intimidating institution is also a lot of fun.” — Lauren Collins, Paris correspondent, The New Yorker, and author of When in French: Love in a Second Language

“Nothing escape Elaine Sciolino in the immensity of the largest museum in the world; she writes with the curiosity of a journalist, the humanity of a storyteller, and the joyful disrespect of an American… With  her book, we will find our way in a grand museum whose meanderings reflect the strange and glorious history of France.” — Gérard Araud, former French ambassador to the United States and president of the Société des Amis du Louvre 

“In its manifold splendors, the Louvre gave Henry James something of a panic attack.  He did not have Elaine Sciolino, but we do:  She has written a rich, rewarding introduction to the greatest collection of art in the world… A spirited, sumptuous book that makes the Louvre feel welcoming — even if you arrive on a Tuesday, when it’s closed.”   — Stacy Schiff, author of The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams and A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America

“I have read many books about museums, but Elaine Sciolino’s stands out. This is essential reading for anyone visiting the Louvre — for those who already know it inside out and for those who have never been... Illuminating, thought-provoking, surprising, amusing. A marvel of observation and insight.” — Xavier Salomon, chief curator of the Frick Collection and coauthor of Cocktails with a Curator 

“Sciolino is the Louvre whisperer.  With wit, charm and a scholar’s bent, she walks us through the galleries, shining her light on beloved masterpieces as well as on treasures tucked deep into gallery corners… Habitués will make discoveries in these pages and first-timers will count themselves lucky to have this book as a companion. And if food is your passion – it’s mine! – you’ll revel in Sciolino’s tour of the Louvre as a sumptuous feast.” — Dorie Greenspan, New York Times bestselling author

“An institution and collection that has been a quiet witness to so much history and change is bound to have stories to tell. Elaine Sciolino... has captured many of these stories in her newest book.... At the Louvre, she spoke to everyone, from the guards to the lead curators, and received unprecedented access to rooms I didn’t even know existed.” - The Art Angle Podcast

“Extremely entertaining. The author, a former New York Times journalist, has interviewed everyone from the firemen to the curators and… takes us through every corridor of the Louvre.” — Paris Diary by Laure