|
|
|
The Pei Pyramid in the courtyard, the modern entrance to the museum, created a great stir in the 1980s when it was announced as one of Mitterands controversial ‘grands projets’. Designed by Ieoh Ming Pei, it’s steel structure and reflective glass, contrast perfectly with the stately backdrop, also supplying the much-needed light and ventilation to the subterranean spaces. Other notorious underground terrains are found beneath the Opera-Garnier, built in 1860 by the young architect Charles Garnier in the style of the Second Empire. Unanimous winner of a competition launched December 1860, Garnier’s design focuses strikingly on the internal functions of the building in its external architecture. The massive opera house was constructed above a subterranean river that still feeds an underground artificial lake to this day. This lake is said to be the location for the sinister doings of Leroux’s Phantom of the Opera, and the home of an overpopulated trout family introduced by a fishing mad technician. Unfortunately visits aren’t allowed. Back to the Le Louvre & Central Back to Home Page |