École du Louvre

Presentation

Founded at the end of the 19th century, the École du Louvre is an institution of higher education under the supervision of the ministère de la Culture. It is housed in the aile de Flore of the palais du Louvre, in close proximity to the collections that support its teaching.

Its distinctive feature: it does not train practising artists, but specialists in art history, archaeology, epigraphy, anthropology and museology. The approach is firmly grounded in the direct study of works, with tutorials held in front of objects, in museums and on sites.

Curriculum and career paths

The curriculum is organised into three cycles: a first, generalist cycle covering broad chronological and geographical areas (from archaeology to extra-European arts and contemporary art), a second cycle of specialisation (research in art history, museology, documentation, collections management and mediation), then a third cycle. Admission to the first cycle is by selective examination.

The school is a recognised pathway to the heritage sector's competitive examinations (notably preparation for the concours de conservateur), museum professions, cultural mediation, documentation, art publishing and the art market. It also offers courses open to auditeurs libres.

Many curators and directors of French museums have studied there, among them Michel Laclotte and Pierre Rosenberg, former directors of the musée du Louvre.