The Gallery of Time

5,000 years of history at a glance

In an open space covering 3,000 m², the Gallery of Time displays 200 masterpieces loaned by the Musée du Louvre and the Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac. This chronological installation stretches from the 4th millennium BC to the middle of the 21st century, offering a unique voyage through the history of art and humankind.
Intermingling eras, techniques and civilizations, it permits a fresh view of the collections of the Musée du Louvre, opening onto contemporary art.

Curators: Jean-Luc Martinez, president-director of the Musée du Louvre, and Vincent Pomarède, director of the cultural and education programme of the Musée du Louvre.

Exhibition design: Studio Adrien Gardère.

The Gallery of Time benefited from the exceptional support of the Crédit Agricole Nord de France.

Galerie du temps

An innovative museum approach

Located to the east of the entrance hall, the Gallery of Time occupies a spectacular space 120 metres long, with an uninterrupted surface area of 3,000 m².

Its internal walls — with no openings onto the outdoors — are clad in an aluminium skin. Their diaphanous reflections put the works and visitors into perspective while blurring spatial boundaries, thereby preventing any feeling of enclosure.

The light grey concrete floor, the monochrome simplicity of the furniture and fittings, and the continuous and diffuse top lighting create an ethereal setting in which the works of art appear to float, with no compartmentalisation restricting sight or movement.

From the entrance to the gallery, the downward view makes it possible to take in the entire space. The floor slopes gently downwards, inviting visitors to descend through the exhibition.

The selection of works is based on featuring a variety of materials, sizes and forms, which helps to enhance each work, which can be looked at from various angles and distances.

Galerie du temps

A unique perspective on the history of art

The Studio Adrien Gardère chose to eliminate all partitions and to create an initial terrace that overlooks the entire gallery, offering the public a unique perspective on the history of art.

Design, lighting, layout, circulation spaces: everything is designed to enhance the works and to give visitors the freedom to enjoy and interact with them in a dialogue that is endlessly reinvented by their own movements.

Adrien Gardère

The works of the Musée du Louvre and the Musée du Quai Branly — Jacques Chirac dialogue with each other at the Louvre-Lens

A historic encounter at the heart of the Gallery of Time

Thanks to an exceptional collaboration with the Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, this display is enriched with 18 works from Africa, Oceania and the Americas.

Now Western and non-Western cultures have been brought together in the Gallery of Time and interact with each other, in an uninterrupted space, without boundaries or hierarchy.

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Les œuvres de la Galerie du temps

Explorez la Galerie du temps, depuis chez vous.

Découvrir les oeuvres

La Galerie du temps a été réalisée grâce au soutien du Crédit Agricole Nord de France, mécène bâtisseur exceptionnel du Louvre-Lens

In a few numbers

3 000 The area of the Time Gallery in square meters. 120 meters long by 25 wide in one piece!

205 The average number of works exhibited in the Galerie du temps

99 Rue Paul Bert 62300 Lens

OPENING TIMES

The museum
Wednesday to Monday: 10am – 6pm
Ticket desk closes at 5:15pm
Closed Tuesday and some holidays (1 January, 1 May and 25 December)

The park
The park is open every day:
16 April to 31 October, 7am to 9pm.
1 November to 15 April, 8am to 7pm

COMING TO THE MUSEUM - PARKING

(Google Maps)

The Musée du Louvre-Lens is next door to the Bollaert-Delelis stadium and traffic can be heavy on days when there are home matches. It is recommended to park in the Jaurès car park, on the Liévin side.

WITH ROUTE 41: Get off at the ‘Louvre-Lens’ stop, rue Paul Bert (200 metres from the museum by foot). This stop is recommended for people with reduced mobility. The museum is served by Tadao, the bus network of Lens-Liévin, Hénin-Carvin and Béthune-Bruay.

ADMISSION AND MEMBERSHIP

Gallery of Time and Glass Pavilion:
Admission free
Temporary exhibition gallery: Full-price: €11 / 18 – 25 years: €6 / – 18 years: free
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Prices can be consulted and downloaded here

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The Gallery of Time

The works of the Musée du Louvre and the Musée du Quai Branly — Jacques Chirac dialogue with each other at the Louvre-Lens