The Art and History of the Louvre

The OLLI Distinguished Speakers Series presents
The Art and History of the Louvre

with Elaine Sciolino

Thursday, April 10, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. ET

Hybrid - Zoom and In-person at the UU Meeting of South Berkshire, 1089 Main St. Housatonic, MA

The Louvre attracts millions of visitors every year to masterpieces like the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and other magnificent works of human achievement.  The museum — once a forbidding fortress built to house and protect French Kings — has many tales to tell.

In Adventures in the Louvre, author Elaine Sciolino shares stories about the royals and rulers who renovated the structure more than twenty times, the artists whose paintings, sculptures, and artifacts were bought or plundered, and the people who are the museum’s lifeblood: the curators selecting and arranging the works, the artisans producing frames and engravings, the builders overseeing restorations, the firefighters protecting the aging structure, and even those who keep I.M. Pei’s iconic glass pyramid gleaming.

Sciolino will guide us on a visit to this magical place, making it her mission to show us how anyone can forge an intimate connection with the museum. She demystifies the Louvre, introducing us to her favorite artworks, both legendary and overlooked, and takes us beyond the Louvre’s imposing walls to uncover a world of unexpected mysteries and delights in a stunning visual presentation.

Elaine Sciolino, author of the New York Times bestseller The Only Street in Paris, as well as The Seine, La Seduction, and the new book Adventures in the Louvre, is a contributing writer and former Paris bureau chief for The New York Times, based in Paris.  In 2010 she was decorated chevalier of the Legion of Honor, the highest honor of the French state, for her “special contribution” to the friendship between France and the United States.

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Ticket information:

Admission is $10 for OLLI at BCC and Berkshire Museum members, and $15 for the general public.

Admission is free for students, staff and faculty from Berkshire Community College, MCLA, Simon's Rock, and Williams; youth 17 and under, and those holding WIC, EBT/SNAP, or ConnectorCare cards.

Pre-registration is required. Register safely and securely online or call 413.236.2190 (M-F 9am-4pm) to register by phone with a credit card.

Please note: This building is accessible, but does not have push buttons for doors.  They will be staffed for entry/exit.