European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 10, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                , a a a a a. A a is amps Kathy Platt admirers Check out a couple of the French sculptures that Grace the closed in courtyard in the recently opened Wing of the  museum has More to see with opening of Richelieu Wing by Michael Kimmelman the new York times i be always been intimidated by the louvre. After countless visits it remains boundless and insurmountable the Everest of museums. And me without a Pickas. Now the louvre has gone from vast to vaster. With the opening of the much anticipated Richelieu Wing last november it has added 230,000 Square feet of exhibition space to the 325,000 it already had and put 12,000 works on View in 165 new rooms and three sky lighted courtyards. In president Frank ois Mitterrand s Napoleonic scheme of Public projects called the brands Ravaux the grand louvre is the grandest of All and the Richelieu Wing named by Napoleon Iii for the 17th-Century Cardinal was to be its capstone. As it happens renovating the louvre is a Job never finished like washing the windows of the world Trade Center. After 12 years of renovation the museum still plans to refurbish among other things its most August space the Grande Galerie where italian paintings hang. Even though it is not quite a culminating event the opening of the Richelieu Wing on the 200th anniversary of the museum has been treated by the French As the biggest Deal since a Well since the opening of the louvre Pyramid in 1989, which concluded the first phase of the grand louvre project. It is hard for a visitor to get As worked up As the French seem to be about the new Wing. Still As museum expansions go it is an unquestionable if not unmitigated Success. The Richelieu Wing belongs to the Northern Arm of the louvre s giant a shaped Structure a stretch of building lining the Rue de Rivoli the length of six american football Fields at the end of which is the museum of decorative arts. It was occupied by the French finance ministry until 1989, when the ministry finally moved out after years of kicking and screaming to make Way for the louvre s inexorable expansion. . Pei the architect who has overseen the entire grand louvre project oversaw the expansion into Richelieu. The exterior of the building looks the same Only cleaner but the inside has been altered by Pei his american partners and their French associates from a Rabbit Warren of accountants offices to suites of tall modern galleries for Northern and French paintings French sculpture ancient near Eastern and islamic Art and decorative objects. The ornate 19th-Century apartments of Napoleon Iii were preserved. Richelieu s galleries of decorative arts the grandest of them lined with tapestries give a whole new presence to this great collection. Northern european painting had Long suffered at the louvre by comparison with French and italian painting. Now no fewer than 840 works by Rubens Bosch Durer Vermeer and other Northern masters have been smartly and handsomely Hung in 36 of the new galleries a virtual museum within the museum. The addition of the Richelieu Wing which is equivalent in size to the Musee d orsay has allowed hundreds of works to come out of the museum s storerooms. In the Case of islamic Art an entire Beautiful collection that had been shown Only rarely has been Given permanent continued on Page 4 february 10, 1994 stripes Magazine 3