European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 25, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                 gallery louvre opens new Wing housing French paintings by i Dimardo Cue United press International thirty nine exhibition rooms housing 700 French paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries were recently opened  at the louvre in another important step toward completion of the museum s ambitious $1.1 billion 12-year renovation project. The paintings As Well As about 100 pastels and drawings will be exhibited on the second floor of the Cour Carrie built by Kings Louis Xiii and Xiv an area previously used for offices storage rooms and restoration. The new Wing which was Niagu rated by president Francois Mitterrand in december 1992, forms part of the continuing 12-year project to renovate arid expand the louvre which most people associate As the Home of the Mona Lisa and chinese american architect . Pei s highly controversial Glass Pyramid. The 700 paintings include 150 works that were previously confined to storage rooms because of a Lack of space. The size of the exhibition Halls varies from spaces specifically designed to create an intimate atmosphere for the smaller works to Large rooms that can comfortably House giant masterpieces including Restout s Pentecost arid Vincent s Zeuxis that have never been previously exhibited. But the major innovation of the new Wing which took five years to build at a Cost of $18.8 million is the use of natural Light the marvelous Light of Paris that has attracted painters for centuries. We had Only one objective to put All the paintings in the line of natural Light even if certain masterpieces suffer from Glare said Pierre Rosenberg the louvre s director of paintings. In order to achieve the goal italian architect Italo Rota installed a series of movable partitions set in the ceiling. These can be opened to allow the Light to Stream inside or closed during particularly hot summer Days to protect the paintings. Rota also built rows of wide windows that look out on the cobblestones Cour Carree and the River Seine it is not useful to use artificial Light during the Day even during Gray Days in Winter Rota explained. The Light of Day is More honest with paintings less Joyful but More  one particularly unusual area of the new exhibition is a 99-by-8.9 foot space known familiarly As the corridor of the  looking out toward the Church of  i Auxer Rois and the Seine it houses 18th-Century miniatures and pastels in a cozy secluded atmosphere. No one knows exactly Why the Small corridor was Given this name but the most credible theory is that it was used by prostitutes to reach private apartments when the louvre was the Home of French Kings from 1527 until Louis Xiv decided to move the court to Versailles in the 17th Century. Rota who took part in the highly successful conversion of the care d orsay from an abandoned Railroad station into one of Paris most marvelous museums won an International Competition in 1986 to restore the second floor of the Cour Carree where the paintings Are shown. Here " Rota said with Awe everything is grandiose the neighbourhood the Palace and the collections. This is not like any other museum. It is a Temple of history. The collection itself is magnificent. Most of the paintings have been restored during the past several years and placed in their original frames. As  moves through rooms with Walls painted in greens Grays Caramel and Terra Cotta the entire spectrum of 7th and 1 St Century French painting unfolds m chronological order. Here Are the major works of the period including Watteau s pilgrimage to the Island of Cythera Pel Ermage a me de Coher Fragonard s figures of fantasy figures do Fantasie and Derby d Epsom by Ceri Cault. Other works Are by Boucher de Troy Restout and David. Austria it 31 Belgium Antwerp of two byte gel of Ritti Uwom