What pyramid structure stands in the main courtyard of the Louvre?

The pyramid structure in the Louvre’s main courtyard is the Louvre Pyramid.

Designed by Chinese-American architect I. M. Pei, it stands in the Cour Napoléon, the vast central courtyard of the Louvre Palace in Paris. The pyramid serves as the museum’s principal entrance and brings daylight into the underground visitor hall beneath the courtyard.

The project formed part of the Grand Louvre redevelopment launched under French president François Mitterrand. Although the modern glass structure initially sparked criticism for clashing with the palace’s classical architecture, it opened in 1989 and became one of Paris’s best-known landmarks. Three smaller pyramids surround the main one.

A common mix-up is the Louvre Inverted Pyramid, another Pei-designed skylight in the underground Carrousel du Louvre shopping complex. That structure points downward and is separate from the upright pyramid in the Cour Napoléon.