The Louvre is calling on individuals to help restore the courtyard of the Sphinx, in the heart of the Denon wing; historic courtyard of 500 m² built in the 17th century. The museum hopes to raise 800,000 euros.
THE Louvre museum launches an unprecedented collection to restore the courtyard of the Sphinx, at the heart ofDenon wing. Glass roof, facades, floor; this historic part of the palace must be completely rehabilitated in order to accommodate the future exhibition dedicated to the Roman collections.
The museum launched a new crowdfunding campaign on Thursday to restore the so-called “Sphinx” courtyard, a 500 m space2 located in the heart of the Denon wing, the busiest of the museum. The objective is to raise 800,000 euros to complete the financing of the work, through the “All patrons!” campaign. © “All patrons!” campaign / Louvre
A collection which marks a notable change for this system launched in 2010. Until now, the calls for donations had mainly enabled the Louvre to acquire or restore works, the campaign then extending to certain exterior spaces of the estate, including the triumphal arch of the Carrousel or the Grande Allée of the Tuileries gardens. This time, it is directly the walls and equipment of the palace who are concerned.
A 17th century courtyard to be upgraded
Built in the middle of the 17th century by thearchitect François Le Vauthere courtyard of the Sphinx notably hosted the open-air workshop of sculptor François Girardon before becoming an exhibition space for monumental sculpture. Its current appearance, however, results in part from a more recent transformation, a glass roof having been installed in 1934 to cover the courtyard. Nearly a century later, this development, now aging, is showing its limits.
The courtyard of the Sphinx under construction in 1931. © Musée du Louvre
In fact, the construction site plans to replace the entire canopy. The future system must notably integrate natural ventilation, with a view to improving the conditions in this space which is particularly exposed to heat during summer periods. The facades will also be restored.in order to treat damage caused by infiltration“, indicates the Louvre. The floor must also be completely resurfaced with the creation of a new paving.
A new space for Roman collections
Beyond the restoration of the building, the project must transform the uses of this courtyard. The Louvre plans to install “the works of the redesigned Roman route“. The museum also wishes to give the space a more peaceful function within a particularly dense visitor route. “At the heart of the busiest wing of the museum, the courtyard will be designed as a calm space, ideal for a break from the visit“, explains the Louvre, also inviting visitors to imagine a new name for this place.
The current name dates back to the 19th century and refers to the Sphinx of Tanisan imposing pharaonic sculpture in pink granite which had been installed in the courtyard between 1826 and 1848. The sphinx has long been presented elsewhere in the museum, but its passage left its name to this space of the palace.
800,000 euros to be raised by January
The collection is open until January 19, 2027. It is part of a particularly important context for the Louvre, engaged in a vast program of restoration and transformation of its buildings. In May, its president Christophe Leribault confirmed a plan valued at more than a billion euros and indicated that the museum was seeking “330 million euros” from patrons in order to help finance the work.
There restoration of the courtyard of the Sphinx therefore intervenes when the needs of the palace are considerable. Infiltration, waterproofing problems, aging of certain equipment and constraints linked to climatic conditions regularly remind us of the extent of the work to be carried out on this exceptional architectural ensemble.
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