Art lovers will now be able to get their fix despite lockdowns and travel restrictions after the Louvre launched an online platform featuring its entire collection.

The world’s most visited museum has put more than 480,000 pieces on show – including the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo.

And it is free.

The website showcases artworks from collections at the museum’s eight departments, ranging from Islamic art and Renaissance sculptures to Egyptian antiquities.

Jean-Luc Martinez, the Paris museum’s president-director, said: “The Louvre is dusting off its treasures, even the least-known.

“For the first time, anyone can access the entire collection of works from a computer or smartphone for free, whether they are on display in the museum, on loan, even long-term, or in storage.

“The Louvre’s stunning cultural heritage is all now just a click away. I am sure that this digital content is going to further inspire people to come to the Louvre to discover the collections in person.”

The interactive site will allow visitors to explore the museum room by room and is available in French, English, Spanish and Chinese.

While available on most devices, collections.louvre.fr, has been optimised to be looked at on mobile phones.

The museum itself remains closed to visitors due to the pandemic and planned renovation works.

Meanwhile, around six in 10 museums, galleries and historic houses in the UK fear for their future, according to research by Art Fund, a national charity that helps them buy works of art.

Director Jenny Waldman said: “The latest lockdown is a body blow and is leaving our museums and galleries fighting for survival.

“Smaller museums in particular, which are so vital to their communities, simply do not have the reserves to see them through this winter.

“Tragically, we are now seeing well-known and much-loved museums facing mothballing or permanent closure.”

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