Le Louvre déménage

The Louvre is an iceberg: it has 35,000 works on the surface and 250,000 in reserve, a large proportion of which are below the level of the Seine. Threatened by floods, the reserves must leave the area for Liévin, 200 km away. 250,000 sculptures, paintings, and ceramics in total, accumulated over 700 years, will be moved. Despite the outcry provoked by this decision, preparations for the move are going ahead. As well as producing an inventory, the teams must clean, number, and protect the works, to which 100,000 others will be added before everything is stored in secret locations around the capital. The documentary features interviews with the Louvre president-director Jean-Luc Martinez, directors of the different departments, and the Liévin mayor Laurent Duporge. The restoration of a flooded mining pit is juxtaposed with impressive images of the great ballet of statues, paintings, and other pieces, in this film that brings us on board for the great migration.