Project Support
Since its founding, AFL has raised over $70 million in support of the Museum, in addition to the donation of a number of important works of art. Following is a list of current fundraising priorities. If you are interested in learning more, please contact us at info@aflouvre.org.
The New Byzantine and Eastern Christian Art Department
A new department has been initiated by the Louvre Museum, which will be known as the Department of Byzantine and Eastern Christian Art (DABCO). This department will bring together approximately 14,000 works—currently dispersed throughout various collections within the museum—into a unified display within 3,000 square meters of newly dedicated gallery space in the Denon Wing.
Renovation of the Roman Galleries
Roman art has long held a place of distinction in France, and to this day the Louvre Museum’s Roman collection—comprising over 40,000 objects—is considered one of the most significant in the world. Spanning a period from the 2nd century BCE to the 4th century CE, the collection features an extraordinary range of works, including sculptures, ceramics, bronzes, mosaics, plasters and terracotta, and all reflecting the richness and diversity of Roman civilization.
Conservation of Peter Paul Rubens’ “Marie de’ Medici Cycle”
Marie de’ Medici, born in Florence in 1575, became Queen of France in 1600 through her marriage to King Henri IV. After his assassination in 1610, she served as Regent for her son, Louis XIII, while he was still underage. Although her formal regency ended in 1614 when Louis XIII turned 13, she continued to wield power, prompting her son to assert control and exile her in 1617. It was not until 1621 that the two reconciled. Upon her return, she was relegated to the Palais du Luxembourg and commissioned Peter Paul Rubens to create a monumental series of 24 paintings, celebrating her life and political legacy.
Renovation of the Historic Spanish Galleries
Last renovated over 25 years ago, the Spanish Galleries were in urgent need of modernization. Overseen by Sébastien Allard, Director of the Paintings Department, and Charlotte Chastel-Rousseau, Chief Curator of the Paintings Department, the project included structural improvements, updated lighting, new benches, floor treatments, revised wall labels, and a complete rehanging of the collection—with several works having undergone conservation. Located at the end of the Grande Galerie, this project refreshed one of the most visited spaces in the museum.
Catalogue for Anne of Austria’s Summer Apartments
The Mark Pigott Lecture and Research Fund was established in 2010 by Mark C. Pigott, KBE, KSTJ, to support scholarly initiatives at the Louvre Museum. In 2025, the Fund has made possible the publication about the gallery and collection of L’appartement d’été de la reine Anne d’Autriche—The Summer Apartments of Queen Anne of Austria. Recently restored with the support of AFL, these apartments have long housed the Louvre’s permanent collection of antiquities, a tradition dating back to the museum’s creation in the late 18th century.
Francisco de Zurbarán Retrospective
Support for the Francisco de Zurbarán exhibition, scheduled to open at the Louvre Museum in October 2026, has been generously provided by the International Council of the Louvre. The funds were raised in 2025 and have been dedicated to the realization of this significant exhibition, which celebrates the artistry of one of the leading figures of the Spanish Baroque period. The exhibition will also commemorate the opening of the renovated Spanish Galleries—an important initiative funded by AFL.
Adopt a Bench in the Tuileries Garden
American Friends of the Louvre was proud to support the Louvre’s 2025 Tous Mécènes campaign, which seeks to restore the historic benches of the Tuileries Garden and add new seating to one of Paris’s most visited public spaces.
WWII Era Scholarship and Research of Artwork Restitution
Judy and Peter Kovler have made a generous grant supporting the work of Art Historian Emmanuelle Polack. She is tasked with coordinating the Musée du Louvre’s restitution research on artworks acquired by the museum during the Nazi Occupation from 1940-1944. The Kovlers are longtime donors to the Louvre Endowment.
LA Residency
This multi-year initiative has been created through the generosity of former AFL board member, Lionel Sauvage, his wife Ariane and their children. The LA residency allows a staff member from the Louvre to spend a month in Los Angeles studying a subject of his or her choosing, utilizing the resources of the Getty and other museums throughout California. The donors will provide a stipend and housing for the visiting researchers during their stay.
This project is temporarily on hold due to the aftermath of the 2025 Pacific Palisades Fire.