Richelieu wing

Notice the repeated windows along the palace’s northern side. The long frontage gives Richelieu a certain steadiness from outside, while the collections within change considerably from one level to another. The wing takes its name from Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister of the French king Louis XIII. This part of the building had an administrative life before becoming fully available to museum visitors. It housed the Finance Ministry until 1989, and its new museum rooms opened in 1993. The glass roofs over the sculpture courtyards belong to that transformation: spaces within the palace could receive daylight while protecting works once exposed to the weather. Think about what you would enjoy looking at before choosing a level. The lower sculpture courts let you study bodies and movement at a generous scale. Level 0 includes the ancient Near East, level 1 decorative arts, and level 2 paintings. Keep the rhythm of those windows in mind. Behind a fairly continuous exterior, the museum offers very different ways of spending your attention.