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Since the 17^th Century, Paris has been known as La Ville-Lumière or The City of Light, both because of its leading role during the Age of Enlightenment and because, in 1829, it was one of the first European cities to adopt gas street lighting.

Things haven’t changed all that much, as Paris is again leading the way in lighting, thanks to Toshiba.

13 Years To Good Looks!

On the 6th December 2011, the Japanese electronics company officially completed the initial phase of an enormous 13 year renovation project of the world famous musée du Louvre, beginning with the Pyramid (pictured), the Pyramidions and the Pavillon Colbert, involving energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly LED lights.

Altogether, Toshiba provided a total of 3200 LED light fittings to replace 4500 old-fashioned, wasteful Xenon gas-filled light fittings. The LED retrofit cut annual power consumption for the exterior lighting by a stunning 73%, from 392,000W to 105,000W.

Making The Gioconda Smile

One of the next stages of this groundbreaking project was completed on June the 4th, 2013. A lighting ceremony was held to celebrate the completion of Toshiba’s LED lighting renovation for the displays in the Red Room, where Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa (La Gioconda) is displayed.

The lighting renovation of this particular masterpiece and the other displays in the Red Room marks the very first occasion when LED lights have been used for interior lighting in the museum, and has allowed for the installation of a new generation of state-of-the-art lighting products.

The light employed to illuminate the Mona Lisa utilises 34 LEDs and includes various optical systems to frame the painting. It will also maintain LED light’s characteristic high lighting uniformity across its surface.

The LED lamps and lighting fixtures developed by Toshiba have improved the colour rendering of the paintings, completely suppressed all UV and IR radiation to minimise light-related damage, and decreased electricity consumption for the Red Room as a whole.

The Cour Napoleon and Cour Carrée were the next areas to receive the Toshiba LED treatment, in the early part of 2014.

We eagerly await more news from Paris, however, another of Da Vinci’s masterworks in the shape of The Last Supper has since been switched to LED light.

The new LED lighting setup for the famous mural was designed and donated to the Last Supper Museum in Milan, Italy by iGuzzini, and it’s said that the lights have made the painting’s colours and contrasts more vivid, reducing energy use substantially.

Unlike the former fluorescent lighting system, the up-to-date LED lights produce only a tiny amount of heat, and so do no damage to the artwork.

Last year, the Vatican installed 50 new lights, containing 7,000 LEDs to illuminate masterpieces such as The Last Judgement and The Creation of Adam, and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the National Gallery in London and The York Project in Munich have all subsequently followed suit.

LED Lights For You Too!

To achieve a somewhat smaller, but equally perfectly formed and energy-efficient lighting feature in your home or business premises, why not install some LED spotlight fittings to replace your current lighting setup?

Or to create an incredible LED light feature either indoors or out, you might like to consider LED strip lights.

Available in a wide variety of kits, they’ll provide you with a simple and convenient way to create a myriad of colours and lighting effects, and all for a fraction of the power of your current lights!