In addition to the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory was the third artwork at the Louvre that I could identify — that was the extent of my art history knowledge. Though in my defense, I’m also familiar with more modern impressionistic works — a story for another time and another museum.

The Winged Victory was found on the Greek island of Samothrace and takes center stage atop the Daru staircase. The surrounding architecture was part of a Louvre expansion in the 1850s and 1860s, and the statue was placed in this location in 1883. The original interior design was considerably more ornate and toned down in 1934, with wallpaper imitating cut stone.

Despite the missing pieces, the statue looks heroic, particularly with the simple surrounding architecture and oval skylight — a fitting union of art and architecture.

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