Project Support
Since its office opened in 2004, AFL has made grants of more than $40 million to the museum, including the donation of a number of important works of art. Following is a list of current fundraising projects.
The Choiseul Snuffbox
The Choiseul Snuffbox is a true masterpiece and one of the most famous french 18th century objects in the world. This year, the Louvre’s “Tous Mécènes” crowdfunding campaign raised more than 1.2 million euro from over 5000 donors the world over, including the American Friends of the Louvre, toward the total 3,9 million sum required to acquire this national treasure.
The paragon of goldsmithery, the Choiseul Snuffbox is painted on its six sides with miniatures of unrivaled quality. Held in the palm of one’s hand, we observe a male character in his Parisian hotel; in his office in Versailles and in the Grand Gallery of the Louvre.
The man portrayed is the Duc de Choiseul, powerful minister of Louis XV, and each vignette is a glimpse into his day: getting dressed, working alone, in conversation with his clerks, or contemplating his painting collections.
Louis-Nicolas Van Blarenberghe, who was de Choiseul’s battle painter, created the snuffbox from 1770 to 1771, at the time of the Minister’s brutal disgrace and exile from the Court, but the circumstances of the commission remain a mystery. Was it a personal commission from Choiseul? The image of a lost happiness? A comforting gift from his friends?
The Choiseul Snuffbox is currently on view in the Sully Wing, Room 609.
From Dilmun to Tylos
This exhibition is the result of a long-time collaboration between the Musée du Louvre and the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums of Bahrain. Since 1978, the French archaeological mission on the island has received the support and collaboration of the Musée du Louvre.
An exceptional loan of 70 Bahraini artefacts is on display at the Musée du Louvre. Objects from the Dilmun and Tylos periods (2300 BC to 400 AD) reveal the major role played by the region in the development of Ancient Near Eastern civilizations. The public will be much gratified to discover this once thriving crossroads of commerce and culture between Mesopotamia, the Iranian plateau, the Arabian Peninsula and the Indus civilization.
The Studio
In 2021, with the support of several generous American donors, the Louvre inaugurated The Studio, a discovery and creation center, giving individuals and groups the opportunity to engage more meaningfully with the Louvre’s rich offerings. Accessible from the Pyramid, The Studio’s nine workshops are centered around a central Forum, tripling the capacity of the museum to host workshops and training sessions for groups of all ages.
Designed by h2o architects with current educational practices in mind, the new rooms, are located on Level 1 of the Richelieu Wing, and encourage the discovery of the Louvre’s collections. The Studio’s programs supplement the guided tours, storytelling activities and special weekend events already offered by the Louvre.
Publication on the Napoléon III Museum
A publication on the little-known Napoléon III Museum is being made possible by the Mark Pigott Lecture and Research Fund. Established in 2010 by Mark C. Pigott, KBE and KStJ, the fund has supported a variety of programs at the Louvre, ranging from a study of the paintings department’s historic frames to an American art symposium. The new book will tell the fascinating story of the short-lived Napoléon III Museum which displayed some of the masterpieces of Italian art and antiquities acquired from the Marquis Campana which are now part of the holdings of the Louvre.
LA Residency
This new five-year initiative has been created through the generosity of 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.
GRoW @ Annenberg Fund
Advisory Committee members and longtime donors Regina and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten have established a fund at the Louvre Endowment. Gregory is a Vice President and Director of the Annenberg Foundation and founder of GRoW @ Annenberg, a philanthropic global initiative dedicated to supporting humanitarian efforts, the environment, the arts, education, and civic and cultural life. The GRoW @ Annenberg Fund will provide ongoing revenues to the Louvre for projects related to the museum’s collections, its accessibility and outreach programs and for the Louvre Palace and Tuileries Garden.