Originally Controversial, Glass Pyramid At Paris Louvre Museum Celebrates 30th Anniversary

Are you one of the 166 million viewers of Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s “Apesh*t” music video filmed last year at the Louvre? In it, Jay-Z is seen rapping in front of the Pyramid, now an iconic symbol for the largest museum in the world. But the Pyramid, which turns 30 this year, was not always considered an icon.

“A shame, it’s just a shame,” said an onlooker hidden behind large sunglasses, as she readjusted a slick black raincoat onto her shoulders. It was 1985, and in the classical courtyard of the Louvre Museum stood a 71-foot-high model structure of the glass and steel pyramid that would soon be erected. This Parisian was unequivocal. “Why a pyramid?” she asked. “It makes you think of Egypt.” Others though applauded the novelty. “It’s important to keep with the times,” said an older gentleman.

Four months after he was elected in 1981, French President François Mitterand announced to the world that he was launching a massive project meant to “Restore the Louvre’s original purpose.” Indeed, an entire wing of what used to be a royal palace was occupied by the Ministry of Finance. The Museum had not been renovated in decades, visitors trickled in through small, impractical doors and outside, traffic and pollution seem about to choke the old Royal Palace.

What a challenge! The idea was, simply put, to transform a 19^thCentury palace at the heart of Paris into a contemporary museum. For this massive project, Mr. Mitterand handpicked Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei, known for his stellar work at the National Gallery in Washington as well as the Fine Arts Museum in Boston. Mr. Pei who would come up with a dramatic design.

“We need to give to the new Louvre a center, said the architect speaking at a press event, “A reception, a generous area with light and with space.” It didn’t need to be a pyramid, he explained, it could be “a dome, an arch or a cube.” But esthetically,” he insisted, “It is the shape I find most pleasing to the eye.” A major polemic exploded in the media and the public, but ultimately, Mr. Pei and the President forged ahead.

The Pyramid, crowning the new underground entrance into the Museum, was inaugurated in March 1989. 70 triangles and 603 diamond-shaped glass pieces were installed, one by one, on a structure made of 190,000 pounds of steel and 210,000 pounds of aluminum. Mr. Pei was seeking absolute transparency and it took two years for the manufacturer, Saint-Gobain, to create the absolute white the architect was seeking.  

But the project went way beyond just the Pyramid. The entire Museum was re-thought and renovated. Under the new entrance, Mr. Pei created what amounted to a junction that led to the various wings of the building. The total project would end up costing 1.5 billion euros.

Today, “The Louvre is the only museum with a work of art as an entrance,” said Jean-Luc Martinez, President-Director of the Louvre Museum.  Last year, a record 10.2 million visitors made their way into the Louvre.

Feel like joining them but having the place to yourself? Airbnb and the Louvre are running a contest offering the winner his or her own version of “A Night at the Museum,” complete with dinner, a private tour of the collections and a night in the Pyramid. Throw your hat in the ring until April 12 https://www.airbnb.com/b/louvre

This post first appeared on Forbes.com. To see the original, click here.