The museum is home to works of Western art from the medieval period to 1848, works of art from ancient Oriental, Greek, Etruscan and Roman civilisations, graphic art and works of Islamic art. From room to room, the former royal palace unveils masterpiece after masterpiece: the Mona Lisa, the Raft of the Medusa, the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory of Samothrace and many more – more than 35,000 works in total.

Since the end of the 1980s, the Louvre Museum has taken on a new modern, contemporary face in the form of its pyramid, designed by architect I.M. Pei. Since the launch of the "Grand Louvre" project, which doubled the exhibition areas of the museum in 1989, the Louvre has striven to build, restore and redevelop its gallery spaces to make the most of its collections. Recent years have seen the opening, in September 2012, of the Department of Islamic Art department and ongoing renovation of the eighteenth-century decorative art galleries.  Today, the space within the pyramid is being reorganised as part of the "Pyramid" project. This will restore the Napoleon Hall to its original function as a reception, meeting and visit preparation area by moving logistical functions out to peripheral areas. The project will also introduce a new, simpler and more accessible reception sequence, a number of recreational spaces as well as new cultural mediation tools.

The Louvre Museum is open every day from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. except Tuesdays. It opens late until 9:45 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays.