The Louvre opened as a public museum in 1793.
The opening took place during the French Revolution, when the former royal collection was declared national property. On August 10, 1793, the institution opened as the Muséum central des Arts, marking the transformation of a royal palace into a museum intended to serve the public.
Its first exhibition contained 537 paintings and 184 objects. Much of the collection came from the French Crown, while other works had been confiscated from émigrés and churches. Visitors were initially admitted free on three days each week, an important revolutionary claim that art should be available beyond the monarchy and elite collectors.
The museum’s early operation was uneven. Structural problems forced it to close in 1796, and the galleries reopened fully in 1801. Some sources distinguish the ceremonial opening on August 10 from the definitive public opening on November 18, but both dates fall in 1793. Therefore, the stored year is correct.