American music stars Beyoncé and Jay-Z made the headlines with their recent visit to the Louvre Museum in Paris on October 13, 2014. Due to their celebrity status, they had the entire Museum to themselves, sans people.

Even though there were no visitors to witness the Carter-Knowles family to the Museum, there are numerous photos posted by Beyoncé on her website. She took selfies posing with the famous works of art such as the Greek sculpture of Apollo.


Besides getting coverage in the gossip pages of the mainstream media, art publications also weighed in on this private celebrity tour of the Louvre.

Hyperallergic's readers think that it is good for museums in general to get such attention, as it encourages different audiences to visit.

What do you think? Should celebrities be granted private tours to museums? Please join the discussion on About Fine Art at Facebook.

Jay-Z and Contemporary Art

Jay-Z is no stranger to the contemporary art world. He performed "Picasso Baby: A Performance Art Film" at the Pace Gallery on July 10, 2013.

Directed by Mark Romanek, the video was assisted by performance artist Marina Abramovic whose 2010 retrospective "The Artist Is Present" at MoMA inspired the hip-hop video.

Artists such as Wangechi Muti, Marilyn Minter, Fred Wilson and Lawrence Weiner also participated in the video.

About the Louvre

The Musée du Louvre (the Louvre Museum) officially opened to the public on 10 August 1793, but its site and collection dates back to the 12th century with Philip II.

The Louvre is located in the center of Paris, on the Right Bank of the Seine River in the 1st Arrondissement.

With over 35,000 artworks spread throughout 60,000 square meters of gallery space, it is difficult to see everything in one day.

Viewers typically visit a few of the museum's key pieces such as the Mona Lisa, Nike of Samothrace, and Venus de Milo and the famous paintings by artists such as Delacroix, David and Ingres.

Employment Information:

The Louvre is a major institution with approximately 2,000 government employees. With the need for such a huge staff, the Louvre regularly posts job listings. Note that French language ability is required in order to work at the Louvre.

How to Apply for a Job:

Job applicants seeking an art curator position, must be a French or European Union national with a post-graduate degree. The candidate is then required to take the entrance exams for the Institut National du Patrimoine (France's National Heritage Institute).

Candidates are tested on pertinent subjects such as art, archaeology, history, and the natural sciences. It is mandatory for job applicants to be knowledgeable about the French national collections.

If successful, the candidate then studies at the Institut for 18 months, ending with an internship "in a cultural administration department and two heritage bodies, plus an assignment abroad."

Museum's Contact Info:

Musée du Louvre, 75058 Paris Cedex 01, France

Information desks: Tel.: (33) 01 40 20 53 17.

Museum Hours:

• Monday 9:00 a.m. to 6:45 p.m
• Tuesday closed
• Wednesday 9:00 a.m. to 9:45 p.m
• Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 6:45 p.m
• Friday 9:00 a.m. to 9:45 p.m
• Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 6:45 p.m
• Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 6:45 p.m
• closed holidays