Louvre Pyramid

The Louvre Pyramid is a 21.6-metre glass and steel structure in the Cour Napoleon that has served as the main entrance to the Louvre since 1989. It was designed by Chinese-American architect Ieoh Ming Pei at the commission of President Francois Mitterrand as part of the Grands Travaux. Its 673 rhombus and triangular panes are made from specially developed ultra-clear glass that is virtually free of the green tint typical of plate glass and so leaves the historic palace facades almost uncoloured. When unveiled the project was fiercely contested because of how a modern pyramid intruded on the neoclassical courtyard. A spiral staircase leads down into the underground reception hall that connects the Sully, Denon and Richelieu wings, making the pyramid Paris's most photographed structure alongside the Eiffel Tower.