Thanks in part to Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s masterpiece of an MV, “Apeshit,” I’ve held on to a weird fantasy of having the Louvre to myself. But unlike The Carters, the thought remains to be the stuff of my mid-afternoon daydreams—until now. (Kinda.)
Announced recently by the Louvre, the Paris museum has now put its entire collection online for free, which comprises more than 480,000 pieces of art. This includes iconic Greek sculptures like “Venus de Milo,” everyone’s fave “Mona Lisa,” more Renaissance paintings from Da Vinci and friends as well as thousands of other works like furniture, jewelry and historical objects.
“Today, the Louvre is dusting off its treasures, even the least-known,” says president-director of the Musée du Louvre Jean-Luc Martinez in a press release. “For the first time, anyone can access the entire collection of works from a computer or smartphone for free, whether they are on display in the museum, on loan, even long-term, or in storage. The Louvre’s stunning cultural heritage is all now just a click away.”
If that sounds overwhelming, we feel ’ya. Fortunately, the Louvre has a bag of tools for exploration, including an interactive map and an advanced search engine, where users can comb through artwork categorized by curatorial departments and themed albums.
Go forth and live your Jayoncé dreams, kids. Check out the Louvre’s art collection here.
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Still from “Apeshit” MV