Henri Loyrette


Henri Loyrette was the chairman of :fr:Association pour le développement du mécénat industriel et commercial|Admical, a French organisation dedicated to corporate philanthropy., and the former director of the Louvre Museum. He became first curator and then director of the Musée d'Orsay in 1978 and 1994 respectively.

Career

Loyrette's appointment to the directorship of the Louvre Museum was announced on 28 March 2001. According to Resnicow Shroeder Associates, previously Loyrette had "served as Director of the Musée d'Orsay from 1994 to 2001, and curator at the Musée d'Orsay from 1978 to 1999".
Loyrette's contract was extended for another three years, during which he was to oversee construction of an expansion in Paris, as well as a new branch in Abu Dhabi.

Exhibitions

Loyrette has organized several exhibitions on diverse subjects, including exhibitions on Edgar Degas, Honoré Daumier, and the origins of Impressionism.
In 2012, Loyrette endorsed an exhibition with photographs by Ahae, the South Korean businessman Yoo Byung-eun, praising his artistic qualities. Following the sinking of the ferry Sewol, Hervé Barbaret, Loyrette's deputy, disclosed to L'Express in 2014 that "The Louvre did not pay a penny to organize this event. The artist paid the production entirely and paid a little more than to exhibit himself in the Tuileries". Yoo further donated million to The Louvre. Loyrette's decision to rent out the Tuileries Garden, administratively attached to The Louvre, prompted French media as well as Korean expatriates in France to raise their concerns over French cultural institutions accepting self-financed exhibitions in return for donations.

Literary works

Loyrette is also an author, with a total of nineteen books on various subjects, including Degas, Gustave Eiffel, and Marcel Proust. One of his most popular works is his book Nineteenth Century French Art.

Books

Loyrette endorsed the building of a new Louvre museum in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. This has sparked much controversy both in France and with the international community.