I thought I'd post this for newbies:

The six minute Louvre
Saturday Evening Post, Oct, 1984 by Art Buchwald
Any sportsman will tell you that the only three things to see in the Louvre are the "Winged Victory of Samothrace," the "Venus de Milo" and the "Mona Lisa." The rest of the sculpture and paintings are just so much window dressing for the Big Three, and one hates to waste time in the Louvre when there is so much else to see in Paris.

Ever since the Louvre acquired these works of art, amateurs from all over the world have been trying to cut down the time it takes to see them. Before the war the world record was held by three Scandinavians, who had managed to make the course in seven minutes thirty-three seconds. This record stood until 1935, when a britisher, Mergenthaller Waisleywillow, paced by his Welsh wife, did it in seven minutes flat. Waisleywillow in his first attempt made it in six minutes and forty-nine seconds, but was disqualified when he forgot to make a complete circle of the "Venus de Milo."

The record stood until 1938, when a Stockholm man, known as the Swedish Cannonball, introduced sneakers and made it in six minutes and twenty-five seconds.

It'd be easy to do it now that they moved the Venus de Milo to a different room for the first time in who knows how long. She's much closer than before to La Victoire and Mona Lisa.

This would be funny if it weren't so true!

This is really hysterical! I can spend 6 minutes looking at one piece.

Not only it is true for the Louvre but it is true sometimes for cities,
some people feel they have to be in X City, Z City and
Y City only because others go there, and they would do it in a record time too.....they would sometimes drive long distances going back and forth ,only to comply with this compeling need.... Sad but true.

The six minute Louvre.. Are you kidding? It took me six minutes just to spell the word

Six minutes!?! It takes me that long to select post cards of the big three.

Woody

Six whole minutes? For just one museum? That's a full minute longer than it takes to graduate from Guido Sarducci's "five minute university."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO8x8eoU3L4

Sounds like the now infamous, &quot;Saw <b>all&lt;/&gt; the art in Florence today; on to Venice tomorow&quot; postcard.</b>

People are quite mad actually....example:

In 1911 the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre (gone for about two years).

As a result, during that period, more people came to view and contemplate the &quot;empty spot&quot; where the Mona Lisa had been, than had come to see it when it was actually hanging there in the two years beofre the theft....go figure! The power of the media? Who knows. People are strange. Rouss

Well, the Louvre itself has signs everywhere with those three objects, pointing the way for the tourist who wants a quickie.

No long after Buchwald's report was published, I was in Paris.

It took me slightly under 8 min.

I took my LW there to attempt a record for couples, but they were building tat godawful pyramid, and the crowds were so thick that the International Committee called off the contest until it was finished.

I have now decided something to add to my itinerary! Our plan is to get a 6 day museum pass with the expectation that with the kids we will make multiple short visits to Louvre rather than one long comprehensive visit. So... I have now decided that on one of our visits we will see how fast we can do that &quot;tourist circuit!&quot; (and use it as a teachable moment on how NOT to visit the Louvre!!)

You would have to have a completely empty Louvre to do this.....

When I went a few years ago, there were mobs of people around these three exhibits....

You have to elbow your way around the room that the Venus de Milo is in and there is always a crowd planted right in front of the Mona Lisa.... so if the rules state that you have to actually encircle the Venus de Milo, that alone would take several minutes....

Keith

and i though i had set a Guinness World Record last Feb when i went thru the whole Louvre - every wing in 45 minutes out the door - and saw as much of the big three as i wanted - a glimpse to say i'd seen them.

For art i prefer the graffiti plastered on walls and along train lines all over paris.

Hi Keith,

That is why doing the 6 min Louvre is such a challenge.

Would I be banned from this board if I decided to continue postponing seeing the Louvre? Last trip went through the d'Orsay. Maybe continue to save the Louvre for later?

No for the average first time traveler to Paris the Louvre would be very low on my list of suggestions.

Really today you can see the works much better in cyberspace world rather than elbowing others just to glimpse the world's most overrated picture - La Jaconde - i've seen lots better graffitied around Paris

&gt;Would I be banned from this board if I decided to continue postponing seeing the Louvre? &lt;

Only if you also put off going to Rome and don't care for the Eiffel Tower.

Pretty funny story! I can kind of relate though - some of my most memorable travel moments are art oriented (Sistine Chapel, David, Rape of the Sabine Women, The Last Supper, Michaelangelo's Prisoners, The Dancer) but I don't really like to spend more than an hour at a time inside of a museum or gallery.

It's all about the time of year if you want to avoid crowds - most recently I visited the Louvre on a February morning and had no trouble viewing anything I wanted to. I have never visited Europe during the months of May-October and never will because of the crowds.