By CAROL VOGEL


PARIS - In a subterranean space far below the tourists crowding the Louvre’s famed pyramid are remnants of a medieval fortress. Here, along a 12th-century sandstone passage, the American artist Joseph Kosuth is about to suspend 15 sentences in giant white neon tubing.

The show, “Neither Appearance Nor Illusion,” which opens this month, is a first for the 64-year-old Mr. Kosuth. “You only get to do something at the Louvre once in a lifetime,” he said.

Elsewhere in the Louvre, the 16thcentury Salle des Bronzes will soon be famous not just for its magnificent collection of ancient bronzes but for its ceiling, which is about to painted by another celebrated figure of American art: Cy Twombly.

There seems to be an infusion of many things American at the Louvre these days. In addition to seeing installations by high-profile contemporary artists, one might also hear American writers like Toni Morrison or see performances by the choreographer and dancer Bill T. Jones.

“I’m really not doing something new,” Henri Loyrette, the Louvre’s director, said. “I’m trying to revive a tradition.”

Mr. Loyrette - who arrived at the Louvre in 2001 after 18 years at the Musee d’Orsay? was referring to 1953, when Georges Braque decorated the ceiling in an ornate gallery that was once Henri II’s antechamber. Since then the Louvre has been primarily focused on burnishing the reputation of dead artists, not promoting new ones, especially if they’re American.

Regardless of his methods and motives, what does seem clear is that Mr. Loyrette, with major plans for expansion, satellite franchises and new partnerships that would have been unheard of even a decade ago, is overseeing the most drastic rethinking of the Louvre’s place and purpose in at least 20 years. (It was 1989 when I. M. Pei finished the then-controversial glass pyramid for the museum’s entrance courtyard.)

Mr. Loyrette has also been charging about the world in what many might call an American manner - seeking donations from Cincinnati to Hong Kong, as well as trading on the Louvre’s brand and collection to raise cash from Atlanta to Abu Dhabi.

Not surprisingly, his approach has not been popular with everyone. Critics seem to view the idea of branding the Louvre as both crass and unnecessary, and are particularly dismissive of Mr. Loyrette’s outreach abroad. Supporters believe that he is merely doing what any museum director has to do these days to make the institution a financially stable place. For Mr. Loyrette’s part, he said he is simply, “making the museum more modern.”

On a private tour given over the summer, Mr. Loyrette, 57, seemed unencumbered by the weight of the world’s most treasured art collection. Instead he seemed preoccupied with the details. “If you want to see everything you must walk 14 kilometers,” he announced. Then: “Forty percent of our visitors are under the age of 26.” And on a more worrisome note: “80 percent of the people only want to see the Mona Lisa.”

Mr. Loyrette’s biggest challenge might be the Louvre itself. If attendance increases at the rate it has been, in five years 10 million visitors a year will be crowding through an entrance designed for less than half that number. Already there is a crush at the I.M. Pei-designed pyramid as visitors wait to get in.

Another troubling reality is that the vast majority come to see only one - or three - pieces of art. “Everyone wants to see the same three things: the Mona Lisa; the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory,” he moaned.

To make people more aware of the rest of the Louvre’s offerings, he recently released a new audio guide highlighting other works of art. To the same end he is also making sure that contemporary art continues to be subtly installed throughout the museum.

But his most noticeable contribution will likely be the $67 million wing to house the Louvre’s world-class collection of Islamic art.

Mr. Loyrette never forgets that the Louvre was originally a palace before it was transformed into a museum in 1793. And he treats it as if it were his home. “I spend every Sunday here,” Mr. Loyrette said. Each visit he inspects a different set of galleries.

“I figure it takes me a month to get through the whole museum,” he said and paused before adding, “Cezanne once said, ‘The Louvre is the book in which we learn to read.’ It’s exactly like that for me, too.”


MUSÉE DU LOUVRE/MARIO BELLINI AND RUDY RICCIOTTI / The director of the Louvre, Henri Loyrette, is overseeing a rethinking of the museum’s place and purpose. A $67 million wing will house its world-class Islamic art collection.