The Louvre displays only about 7% of its 480,000-piece collection; the rest is preserved in climate-controlled underground vaults and a dedicated conservation facility.

The Musée du Louvre in Paris holds approximately 480,000 works of art, but its 782,910 square feet of gallery space can display only about 35,000 items. To preserve the remaining collection, the museum relies on two sophisticated storage systems.The original underground network beneath the Paris palace features advanced HVAC systems that maintain a constant temperature of 20°C and 50% humidity—ideal conditions for protecting oil paintings and ancient papyrus from deterioration. These tunnels are designed with wide corridors and specialized service elevators to safely transport massive canvases, such as Veronese's "The Wedding Feast at Cana," between gallery wings without exposing them to outdoor air or public crowds.In 2019, the Louvre opened the Conservation Centre in Liévin to address flooding risks from the Seine River. This 18,000-square-meter facility now houses approximately 250,000 artworks that were previously stored in the vulnerable underground zones of the Paris museum. The Liévin site incorporates a green roof and thermal inertia technology, which naturally stabilizes the internal climate and reduces energy consumption for preservation.This dual-site strategy protects the collection from both environmental disasters and the gradual degradation caused by light exposure, ensuring that these irreplaceable treasures remain intact for future generations.