Louvre in Paris: how to beat the crowds and what to see

When in Paris: Amor & Psyche von Antonio CANOVA at the Louvre

Wednesday afternoons around 5 p.m. are the best time for a stroll through the Louvre, as admission is reduced from 6 p.m. and many visitors wait until then. Those who don’t wait are rewarded with a very short queue and little crowding in the museum rooms.

You should definitely see the Mona Lisa (La Joconde, Leonardo da Vinci, ca. 1505) once in your life. (Even if only from the third row and at a safe distance of 3 metres.) But my favourite is the sculpture Amor & Psyche by Antonio CANOVA (Psyché ranimée par le baiser de l’Amour).

Psyche marries Cupid without knowing who he is or what he looks like. Driven by curiosity, she spies on him in her sleep, he flees and she is forced by Venus (Cupid’s jealous mother) to perform superhuman tasks. Finally, she falls into a deep sleep from which only Cupid’s kiss can awaken her.

The sculpture shows how Cupid, still in love with her, flies to her and gives her the redeeming kiss.

Antonio CANOVA – Possagno, 1757 – Venise, 1822
Psyché ranimée par le baiser de l’Amour
Musée du Louvre

More information about the Louvre can be found here:
https://www.louvre.fr/en/visit/faq/tickets-and-prices