The New Louvre

Local products become global products which have local impact around the globe.

Dan Brown's book has been a marketing success for the Louvre museum in Paris, where attendance is up 25% in the past three years. This has got to make the French wince - pop culture bringing in hordes of tourists (a French word!).

Yet some, like the Louvre's director, are aggresively taking advantage of the opportunities for global entrepreneurship (how could the French have even invented that word?)

"Unlike past directors, Loyrette has aggressively sought funding from private sources to augment the museum's resources. In April, he announced the formation of a partnership between the Louvre and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. Between 2006 and 2009, the Louvre will lend the High enough art for three special exhibitions, including masterpieces by Raphael and Nicolas Poussin.

Meanwhile, U.S. sponsors of the exhibitions — including Delta, UPS and Coca-Cola — have pledged $6.4 million for refurbishments to the Louvre's collection of 18th century French furniture.

In 2002, Loyrette welcomed the founding of the American Friends of the Louvre, a New York-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to support the museum financially, strengthen French-American cultural ties and improve how the museum addresses the needs of visitors from the U.S. Its current initiatives include English translations of the museum's Web database and installation of panels describing key artworks in English and Spanish.

The society is a new concept at the Louvre, although a similar group has long been active at Versailles. 'It never occurred to the Louvre before, but Loyrette is shaking things up,' said Christopher Forbes, head of the board of directors of the American Friends of the Louvre. 'He represents a new generation of directors, plugged into what's happening at museums worldwide.'"