Museum · Lens, Hauts-de-France
Louvre-Lens
A branch of the Louvre on a former mining site, known for its Galerie du Temps.
The Louvre-Lens is a regional branch of the Louvre, built on a former coal-mine site in the Pas-de-Calais mining basin and opened in December 2012. It was conceived to bring national collections closer to people living far from Paris and to support the renewal of a former industrial area.
The low, glass-and-polished-aluminium pavilions designed by SANAA sit lightly in a landscaped park. Inside, the long Galerie du temps lays out Louvre masterpieces chronologically from antiquity to the 19th century, while a separate gallery hosts major temporary exhibitions and the visible storage areas can be explored by visitors.
Highlights
- Galerie du temps: a single chronological sweep through Louvre masterpieces
- Minimalist glass and aluminium architecture by SANAA
- Landscaped park on a former colliery site
- Visitable storage reserves beneath the museum
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