Sometimes you really wish it was like a Tomb
6 Comments Published by Cedric Benetti on Wednesday, April 8, 2009 at 4/08/2009 06:30:00 PM.
We all love the Louvre Pyramid. A big symbolic structure that screams "monument" in all its transparency, or as Robert Venturi would call it, the 'duck'. What more symbolic and majestic than a pyramid?
Well I'd prefer to hang around in a real pyramid sometimes when I see the crowds that press themselves inside this noble glass structure. Isn't a pyramid supposed to be a peaceful and quiet place, where the dead rest and where you could hear a pin drop? Certainly, but today Pei's pyramid was once again hopelessly overstuffed with the tourist crowd. Apparently someone told me they had as much as 80 tourist busses alone, and countless groups of yelling and nasty schoolkids on Easter vacation that should rather be let loose in an empty junkyard than in a place of priceless artwork.
All I wanted to do was attend a harmless conference on museum architecture, and it took me 15 minutes and a try at each entrance gate to finally kwetsch myself inside. But I think my pictures speak for themselves: disoriented tourists en masse and waiting lines at the ticket boots that you would usually find for rock concert tickets.
Well I'd prefer to hang around in a real pyramid sometimes when I see the crowds that press themselves inside this noble glass structure. Isn't a pyramid supposed to be a peaceful and quiet place, where the dead rest and where you could hear a pin drop? Certainly, but today Pei's pyramid was once again hopelessly overstuffed with the tourist crowd. Apparently someone told me they had as much as 80 tourist busses alone, and countless groups of yelling and nasty schoolkids on Easter vacation that should rather be let loose in an empty junkyard than in a place of priceless artwork.
All I wanted to do was attend a harmless conference on museum architecture, and it took me 15 minutes and a try at each entrance gate to finally kwetsch myself inside. But I think my pictures speak for themselves: disoriented tourists en masse and waiting lines at the ticket boots that you would usually find for rock concert tickets.
Labels: Louvre, MUSEUMS, people I hate
How awful. I hope the conference was worth it.
Bonjour! Cedric,
Wow!...Thanks, for sharing!...especially, for your reader(s) who(m) plan to take a trip to France...in order to visit the Pei's pyramid...and since I haven't had the pleasure of visiting France yet...I'am not sure if it (The Pei's pyramid)...is crowded all year round.
Merci!
Deedee ;-D
Well actually, if you plan on visiting the Louvre, your best choice would be to come whenever there are no official school holidays.
Also don't come on a wednesday, because most school classes here have their visits on that day. Also very dangerous are weekends, especially the first sunday of every month, when the Louvre is free of entrance for everybody.
Cedric
if I don't do that I won't be getting chance to visit louvre again. summer starts and I'm in paris ;)
p/s : are the anime paints still in louvre museum? i read it in a mag and i really hope i can see it.
Oh how I do remember this!! Yuck! I was a member of the museum when I was living there,and spent every Sunday at the Louvre. I hated spring break and how loud it was, with those kids that had no museum etiquette. I studied museum science in the States,and I saw how sadly lacking our culture, here, is with teaching children to visit museums. When living in France, I noticed that it is universal.
there is something about a crowd that takes the enjoyment or beauty right out of an experience!