The modern crown adorning The Louvre in Paris

March 4, On This Day

Pyramid scheme!

In a radical diversion from what was expected, an artwork commissioned in the courtyard of The Louvre created much controversy in the late 1980s. Finally, on March 4, 1989, the Louvre Pyramid (Pyramide du Louvre) was inaugurated by then French President François Mitterand, who had himself commissioned the art from Chinese-American architect IM Pei (it was opened to the public a few weeks later on March 29).

While it is a landmark today, its construction had triggered years of lively debate. It was called an infusion of harsh modernism that clashed with the classic French Renaissance style of the monument; Mitterand was called a \”pretentious megalomaniac\” for this ambition, and Pei was not considered French enough to be up to the task; last, but not the least, the fact that pyramids are symbols of death in ancient Egypt raised eyebrows. A longstanding rumor claimed that the pyramid includes exactly 666 panes on Mitterand’s request, considered unholy and Satanic by some Christians. In 2003, bestseller The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown piqued more scandal about the structure.

Today, however, the brave new design has been embraced by locals and tourists alike.