Snapchat and the Louvre

Following an initial pilot in 2023 focused on works from Ancient Egypt, Snap’s AR Studio Paris and the Musée du Louvre present The Incredible Unknowns of the Louvre, a free interactive augmented reality experience.

Starting today, Snapchat and the Musée du Louvre are offering innovative and educational experiences for six masterpieces that allow visitors, directly via their smartphones, to reveal forms, materials, and colors that have since disappeared, decode artistic techniques, and explore the iconic works from the collections in new ways.

The Incredible Unknowns of the Louvre: Technological Innovation Once Again at the Heart of the Visitor Experience

The experience is activated simply by scanning the QR code displayed on the artwork label, opening the door to a digital exploration at the heart of the works.

• The Code of Hammurabi: An iconic monument of the Ancient Near East, this code compiles nearly 280 judicial decisions handed down by Hammurabi, King of Babylon. Through AR, visitors can decode this millennia-old legal text, which notably gave rise to the famous principle of “an eye for an eye.”

• The Bust of Akhenaten: Originally located in the Karnak Temple, this colossal sculpture represents the illustrious Pharaoh Amenhotep IV, better known as Akhenaten. Thanks to AR, the sculpture regains its original forms and colors, which had faded over the centuries.

• The Portrait of Anne of Cleves: Painted by Hans Holbein the Younger, one of the most important German painters of the Renaissance, this portrait is a masterpiece of pictorial technique and contains several hidden messages that visitors can discover directly on their smartphones.

• The Kore of Samos: Offered to the goddess Hera in her sanctuary on the island of Samos, this marble statue — once painted in vivid colors — has withstood the test of time. Through this experience, visitors can see what it looked like 2,500 years ago.

• The Four Captives: The large bronze Captives in the Cour Puget once surrounded the pedestal of the statue of Louis XIV in Paris’s Place des Victoires. During the French Revolution, while the statue of the Sun King was torn down and melted, the Captives — seen as victims of absolute power — were spared. Rediscover Martin Desjardins’ work in its original appearance within the Cour Puget through Snap’s AR technologies.

• Rustic Figulines: This extraordinary basin is an example of the art of Bernard Palissy, a major French Renaissance artist of the mid-16th century. Snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs, and many other animals come to life before your eyes, paying tribute to Palissy’s remarkable realism.

All of these experiences were designed by Snap’s AR Studio Paris in close collaboration with the Musée du Louvre curators, based on archival materials and scholarly references. On louvre.fr, additional explanations allow the most curious visitors to deepen their AR experience. This interactive initiative creates a new dialogue between visitors and artworks, offering a fresh way to explore the museum’s collections.

Experience the Artworks Beyond the Louvre!

AR Studio Paris and the Musée du Louvre are going even further by offering an experience accessible to Snapchatters around the world. Available in the Lens carousel or by scanning banners installed around the Musée du Louvre, this AR experience reveals animated marble blocks. Designed as a playful and interactive journey, it enables Snapchatters to unveil the artworks in 3D while discovering their locations within the museum’s various departments — an unexpected way to rediscover the Louvre like never before.

For press requests, email press@snap.com.
For all other inquiries, please visit our Support site.