We expected to see the name of Bernard Arnault emerge at the Louvre, who intends to open a new entrance, the Place du Louvre, to facilitate the flow of visitors, a project whose cost of 450 million euros is also worth it. huge for public funds. Finally, it is on the left bank, at the Musée d’Orsay, where the billionaire will provide his support through a partnership established for the period 2026-2030 with his flagship, Louis Vuitton.
According to information from WorldThe leather goods manufacturer should allocate 20 million euros to finance renovation works at the entrance with the aim of improving visitor reception and reducing queues. The project, which will open the museum between 2025 and 2028, includes a renovation of the plaza, the restoration of the entrance marquise as well as the rehabilitation of the room, the columns and the finishing of the nave. To make the visit more fluid, the departure will be moved to the Quai de Seine.
Possible loans of works.
The exchanges between Bernard Arnault and the museum date back to the mandate of Laurence des Cars, today president of the Louvre. They were reinforced during the visit to Orsay of Christophe Leribault, current head of the Palace of Versailles. In January 2023, the LVMH group allowed the acquisition for 43 million euros – 90% tax free – of a painting by Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894), boat party (1877-1878), classified three years earlier as a national treasure. The same year, the museum hosted a Louis Vuitton fashion show and displayed an advertising poster on its façade.
The union between art and luxury could reach a new milestone. According to information from WorldThe agreement between Orsay and Vuitton could include a surprising clause: the loan of works from the museum’s collections to the future flagship of Louis Vuitton, located at 103 avenue des Champs-Elysées, whose façade is today hidden by a huge trunk monogrammed metal that had irritated Parisian environmentalists elected in the fall. This immense store, the largest ever opened by the leather goods manufacturer, should include, in addition to 6,000 square meters of sales area, 3,500 square meters of showrooms to tell the story of the brand. “Today nothing has been decided”someone close to the case evades, without denying the information.
