AdVENTURES IN THE LOUVRE: HOW TO FALL IN LOVE WITH THE WORLD’S GREATEST MUSEUM
AVAILABLE APRIL 1, 2025
“I have read many books about museums, but Elaine Sciolino's stands out. This is essential reading for anyone visiting the Louvre - for those who already know it inside out and for those who have never been… Illuminating, thought-provoking, surprising, amusing. A marvel of observation and insight.” —Xavier Salomon, chief curator of the Frick Collection and author of Cocktails with a Curator
“In its manifold splendors, the Louvre gave Henry James something of a panic attack. He did not have Elaine Sciolino, but we do: She has written a rich, rewarding introduction to the greatest collection of art in the world…. A spirited, sumptuous book.” —Stacy Schiff, author of The Revolutionary
“Elaine Sciolino writes with the curiosity of a journalist, the humanity of a storyteller, and the joyful disrespect of an American. She is amused and ironic, but always impartial as she describes the glories, oddities and flaws of the Louvre. An enchanting book.” —Gérard Araud, former French ambassador to the United States and president of the Société des Amis du Louvre
The Louvre is the most famous museum in the world, attracting millions of visitors every year. In Adventures in the Louvre, Elaine Sciolino immerses herself in this magical space and helps us fall in love with what was once a forbidding fortress.
Exploring galleries, basements, rooftops, and gardens, Sciolino demystifies the Louvre, introducing us to her favorite artworks, both legendary and overlooked, and to the people who are the museum’s lifeblood: the curators, the artisans producing frames and engravings, the builders overseeing restorations, the firefighters protecting the aging structure.
Blending investigative journalism, travelogue, history, and memoir, Sciolino walks her readers through the museum’s front gates and immerses them in its irresistible, engrossing world of beauty and culture. Adventures in the Louvre reveals the secrets of this grand monument of Paris and basks in its timeless, seductive power.