Exclusive Montres Breguet SA patronage for the remodelling of the Conseil d’Etat rooms and salon Beauvais, known as the Louis XIV wing, at the Louvre museum as part of the renovation of the museum premises devoted to 18th century furnishings.

An impressive collective demonstration of French talent and capabilities, the Louvre’scollections of 18th century decorative arts are unrivalled anywhere. They rank as some of the most comprehensive ever assembled in a public institution, comprising an unmatched assortment of royal furniture, tapestries and jewellery, enriched all throughout the 20th century by the generosity of numerous donors.

The presentation of these 18th century artistic and craft masterpieces has barely changed since 1960. Their collections’ rare and precious character, not to mention the priceless additions of the last half-century, call for a radical remodelling of the corresponding premises located in the Sully wing of the Louvre.

Two decades after the inauguration of the Louvre Pyramid, the reorganization of 18th century decorative arts collections will mark a new step in the Grand Louvre project. The renovation of the rooms of the Sully wing is designed to reconcile museological imperatives, the collections fitting in perfectly with the Louvre’s architecture, and their display, with special emphasis on facilities for the public.

Timepieces form a particularly exceptional aspect of 18th century decorative arts. The pieces representing the first third of the 19th century collected by the Lyons industrialist Claudius Côte and bequeathed by his widow brought the museum a magnificent selection of watches by Abraham-Louis Breguet. «Souscription» watches, repeater watches – such celebrated inventions and feats of manufacturing sealed his reputation as an outstanding horologist.

I am therefore extremely gratified by the support which Montres Breguet has seen fit to bring to the remodelling of the Conseil d’Etat rooms and the Salon Beauvais, a significant aspect of the renovation of the premises devoted to 18th century furniture. Of particular importance, this partnership is for the Louvre both a natural association and a logical one.

I extend my deepest and sincerest thanks to Nicolas G. Hayek, Chief Executive Officer of Montres Breguet, for his generous contribution to a challenging project that will soon place in the best possible light a chapter in the history and cultural heritage of Europe.

Henri Loyrette
Managing President of the State Corporation of the Louvre Museum