New Old

The Louvre is one of the most famous museums in the world (Mona Lisa). It is housed in a gigantic palace built in the 16th Century. To handle the huge museum crowds, a new entrance was built in the courtyard, both above ground and below. The "Pyramid" was designed by Japanese architect I.M. Pei and was completed in 1989. Like everything in France, it set off a controversy because critics felt the modern glass and steel of the Pyramid contrasted with the 16th Century architecture of the palace.