Night at the museum

A lucky Northumbria University student won the opportunity to spend the night in the world renowned Louvre museum in Paris recently.

The competition, run by the Louvre and Airbnb, welcomed Conversation of Fine Art MA student Daniela Molinari for a very special sleepover that saw the entire museum turned into a home for the evening.

She brought along her boyfriend as her chosen plus one, and the pair were presented with a living room in front of the famous Mona Lisa, as well as a dining room presided over by the Venus de Milo, the Greek goddess of love and beauty.

Speaking of her experience, Daniela said: “It was an unexpected and unbelievable experience. I respect art because of what I study, but being able to experience it in such a way granted me the space to appreciate everything individually without crowds, which actually makes a big difference. It was a huge privilege to attend.”

As part of her experience, Daniela and her boyfriend were taken on a bespoke tour of the gallery, before being presented with an extravagant feast in a pop-up dining room. Their bedroom for the evening was in the form of a mini-pyramid underneath the Louvre’s famous glass pyramid, and they were later able to enjoy an intimate acoustic concert in Napoleon III’s extravagant apartments.

“I got a fantastic night’s sleep!” said Daniela. “It was a lot to take in through the evening so I fell asleep within seconds. I think my favourite part was drinking by the Mona Lisa and being able to talk to our host about art and conservation. The whole experience was enthralling. My standards for dinner dates have definitely gone up!”

To find out more about studying Conversation of Fine Art MA at Northumbria, visit: www.northumbria.ac.uk/study-at-northumbria/courses/conservation-of-fine-art-dtfcfz6/