American Friends of the Louvre

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The American Friends of the Louvre (AFL) is an organisation which seeks to raise awareness of the Louvre’s collections and museum expertise and helps to make the Louvre’s exhibitions and permanent collection more accessible to all English-speaking visitors. AFL was founded by the Musée du Louvre in 2002 to strengthen ties between the Louvre and the American public and formalize the longstanding generosity of American patrons.

To ensure the broader reach of the Louvre’s resources, American Friends of the Louvre supports the development of public and educational programs in the U.S. and France. These include numerous exhibitions co-organized with American museums, such as Girodet: Romantic Rebel and Roman Art from the Louvre; exhibitions at the Louvre such as Profondeurs Vertes, an installation by American artist Mike Kelley, and The Studio of David; and scholarly and professional exchanges between curators at the Louvre and their American counterparts.

Recent enhancements to the Louvre visitor experience made possible through American Friends of the Louvre include the creation of wall labels in three languages – English, Spanish, and French – throughout the Louvre’s major galleries; the English translation of the Louvre’s online collections database, to be completed in 2007; and the acquisition of group audio tour equipment to improve acoustics and reduce disruptions in the galleries.

In addition, American Friends of the Louvre has assisted in the establishment of grants for educational support, such as a curatorial fellowship in the Louvre’s Department of Islamic Art, and a one-year research fellowship to inventory and create an online database of American art in French public collections.