Louvre and Toshiba achieve a new stage in partnership

A lighting ceremony was held in the musée du Louvre’s Napoleon Hall to celebrate the completion of the Toshiba LED lighting renovation for the displays of the Mona Lisa and Red Room.

The ceremony was attended by Toshiba’s Corporate Executive Vice President, Mr Hidejiro Shimomitsu, and and Louvre Museum General Manager, Mr Hervé Barbaret, as well as 480 guests, including valued European customers.

The musée du Louvre and Toshiba have maintained a partnership agreement since June 2010. Toshiba has for far renovated lighting of the Pyramid, the Pyramidions and the Pavillon Colbert (December 2011) and the Cour Napoleon (May 2012) – a testimony of the Louvre’s investment in the environment. The renovations have significantly cut power consumption, and a 73% cut in power consumed by exterior lighting.

The lighting renovation of the Mona Lisa and displays in the Red Room is the first time Toshiba LEDs have been used for interior lighting in the museum, and has allowed for the installation of a new generation of lighting products. The lamps and lighting fixtures developed by Toshiba have improved colour rendering of the paintings, total suppressed UV and IR radiation, and reduced electricity consumption for the Red Room and the Mona Lisa.

A unique, highly innovative lamp was installed in front of Mona Lisa and concealed in the shelf next to the painting. This lamp uses 34 LEDs and allows for the compensation of colour shift due to the protective glazing and ambient lighting. The lamp includes various optical systems to frame the painting and to maintain very high lighting uniformity across the masterpiece. An innovative control system, that allows the musée du Louvre to adjust the spectrum of the lamp as precisely as possible, was developed with the highest possible fidelity to colours.

The Louvre palace remains in constant evolution over the years, building upon its constitution for many centuries now. Today still, the creation of this new lamp specifically for the Mona Lisa is the result of an iterative collaboration between great specialists. In 2005, a new, ultramodern spotlight was created for the presentation of the Mona Lisa at the opening of the Salle des Etats. Today, thanks to the expertise of Toshiba and the contribution of internationally renowned specialists towards an ultra-sophisticated technology, a new spot prototype, at the forefront of lighting development, is once again presented.  

Toshiba has undertaken new lighting projects on a global scale since April 2010 as part of its approach to create a new “akari (lighting) culture” in harmony with people and the environment. In addition to enhancing its technical capabilities gained through its involvement in this project Toshiba, as one of the world’s leading eco-conscious companies, will continue to contribute to global culture and reduction of environmental burdens.

The next stage of the partnership will be to use Toshiba LED lighting in the Cour Carrée (a square courtyard) by the end of 2013 and in the Napoleon Hall in the first half of 2014 (scheduled).