Timeline Of The Louvre The Onion looks back at the most important events in the history of the Paris art museum. Advertisement 1793: France’s revolutionary government opens Musée Central des Arts in the Grande Galerie of the Louvre to manage spillover crowds from the Hard Rock Café Paris. 1814-1832: Bourbon Restoration period sees collections grow thanks to generous donations of artwork by plundered nations. 1886: Museum makes history by acquiring its first female statue. 1940: Nazi soldier pretty underwhelmed by remaining collection. 1957: Mona Lisa placed behind bulletproof glass after unsuccessful assassination attempt. 1980: Following expensive restoration of hundreds of paintings, Louvre begins forbidding visitors from touching or licking the art.