Editing Louvre (section)

=== Revolutionary opening ===
The Louvre finally became a public museum during the French Revolution. In May 1791, the [[National Constituent Assembly (France)|National Constituent Assembly]] declared that the Louvre would be "a place for bringing together monuments of all the sciences and arts".<ref name=" Nora 278" /> On 10 August 1792, [[Louis XVI of France|Louis XVI]] was imprisoned and the royal collection in the Louvre became national property. Because of fear of vandalism or theft, on 19 August, the National Assembly pronounced the museum's preparation urgent. In October, a committee to "preserve the national memory" began assembling the collection for display.<ref>Oliver,&nbsp;pp.&nbsp;21–22</ref>

[[File:Amor-Psyche-Canova-JBU02.JPG|thumb|right|[[Antonio Canova]]'s ''[[Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss]]'' was commissioned in 1787 and donated in 1824.<ref name="French">{{Cite web |title=French Sculpture 1800–1825, Canova |url=http://gallery.sjsu.edu/paris/the_academy/canova.htm |last1=Monaghan |first1=Sean M. |last2=Rodgers, Michael |year=2000 |website=19th Century Paris Project |publisher=School of Art and Design, San Jose State University |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080420173109/http://gallery.sjsu.edu/paris/the_academy/canova.htm |archive-date=20 April 2008 |access-date=24 April 2008 }}</ref>]]

The museum opened on 10 August 1793, the first anniversary of the monarchy's demise, as ''Muséum central des Arts de la République''. The public was given free accessibility on three days per week, which was "perceived as a major accomplishment and was generally appreciated".<ref>Oliver,&nbsp;p.&nbsp;35</ref> The collection showcased 537&nbsp;paintings and 184&nbsp;objects of art. Three-quarters were derived from the royal collections, the remainder from confiscated [[émigrés]] and [[Roman Catholic Church|Church]] property (''[[biens nationaux]]'').<ref name="Alex 24" />{{R|Mignot|page=68-69}} To expand and organize the collection, the Republic dedicated 100,000&nbsp;[[Livre tournois|livres]] per year.<ref name="Nora 278">Nora,&nbsp;p.&nbsp;278</ref> In 1794, France's revolutionary armies began bringing pieces from Northern Europe, augmented after the [[Treaty of Tolentino]] (1797) by works from the Vatican, such as the ''[[Laocoön and His Sons|Laocoön]]'' and ''[[Apollo Belvedere]]'', to establish the Louvre as a museum and as a "sign of popular sovereignty".<ref name="Alex 24" /><ref>McClellan,&nbsp;p.&nbsp;7</ref>

The early days were hectic. Privileged artists continued to live in residence, and the unlabeled paintings hung "frame to frame from floor to ceiling".<ref name="Alex 24">Alderson,&nbsp; pp. 24,&nbsp;25</ref> The structure itself closed in May 1796 due to structural deficiencies. It reopened on [[Bastille Day|14 July]] 1801, arranged chronologically and with new lighting and columns.<ref name="Alex 24" /> On 15 August 1797, the [[Galerie d'Apollon]] was opened with an exhibition of drawings. Meanwhile, the Louvre's Gallery of Antiquity sculpture (''musée des Antiques''), with artefacts brought from Florence and the Vatican, had opened in November 1800 in [[Anne of Austria]]'s former summer apartment, located on the ground floor just below the Galerie d'Apollon.