Life at the Louvre

I stumbled across these wonderful photographs by the multi-talented Brazilian photographer and poet Alécio de Andrade. He settled in Paris in 1964 and spent almost four decades returning to the Louvre, photographing not only its art, but the people looking at it.

Over the years, he took more than 12,000 photographs inside the museum. Rather than concentrating on grand views of the galleries, he noticed the smaller moments: tired visitors resting on benches, people absorbed in paintings and those happy coincidences where life seems to reflect art.

There is something captivating about looking at people looking at art. De Andrade’s photographs are observant without feeling intrusive, and they are often gently funny. The masterpieces remain present, but the visitors become part of the composition.

A selection of 62 photographs was eventually published in 2009 as The Louvre and its Visitors, with a foreword by Edgar Morin. It is a lovely record not only of the Louvre, but of the countless private moments unfolding inside such a public place.

Miss Moss shared some of these photographs on her blog, where we originally spotted them.