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American Friends of the Louvre (AFL) was founded by the Musée du Louvre in 2002 to strengthen ties between the Louvre and the American public and formalize the longstanding generosity of American patrons.

Through its support, AFL raises awareness of the Louvre’s collections and museum expertise and helps make the Louvre’s exhibitions and permanent collection more accessible to all English-speaking visitors.

To ensure the broader reach of the Louvre’s resources, American Friends of the Louvre supports the development of public and educational programs in the U.S. and France. These include exhibitions co-organized with American museums such as a three-year exhibition program and partnership with the High Museum of Art in Atlanta which allowed for masterpieces from the Louvre’s collections to be shared with thousands of Americans. Other collaborative exhibitions include Cast in Bronze: French Sculpture from Renaissance to Revolution with The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Getty Museum and Roman Art from the Louvre which traveled to Indianapolis, Seattle and Oklahoma City.

AFL has also supported the Louvre’s program in contemporary art by funding installations at the Louvre by American artists such as Mike Kelley, Richard Serra, Jenny Holzer and Cy Twombly. AFL has also underwritten scholarly and professional exchanges between curators from the Louvre and their American counterparts.

Enhancements to the Louvre visitor experience made possible through American Friends of the Louvre include the creation of wall labels in three languages – English, Spanish, and French – throughout the Louvre’s major galleries; the English translation of the Louvre’s online collections database, Atlas, launched in August 2009; and the acquisition of group audio tour equipment to improve acoustics and reduce disruptions in the galleries.

In addition, American Friends of the Louvre has assisted in the establishment of grants for educational support, such as a curatorial fellowship in the Louvre’s Department of Islamic Art, and has lent its ongoing support for the enrichment of La Fayette, an online database of American art in French public collections.

AFL currently has a capital campaign to raise $4 million towards the renovation of the Louvre’s 18th-century French decorative arts galleries, which are popular with American visitors. AFL has recently secured a 1 million euro grant from The Annenberg Foundation for the creation of educational tools designed for teaching history of art in schools and enhancing educational activities for families in the Louvre galleries.