The Louvre Museum acquired Jean Siméon Chardin's 18th-century masterpiece, Basket of Wild Strawberries (1761), raising €1.3m from nearly 10,000 individual donors, surpassing its fundraising goal with over €1.6m in donations. The painting, which fetched a record €24.3m at auction, marking the highest price for an 18th-century French painting, benefited from substantial contributions, including nearly two-thirds of the purchase price from luxury conglomerate LVMH and significant funds from the Société des Amis du Louvre.
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Laurence des Cars, the Louvre's director, praised the unprecedented public support. The acquisition allows the iconic piece to tour France, with exhibitions planned in Lens, Brest, and Clermont-Ferrand, demonstrating the museum's commitment to sharing national treasures with a broader audience and reinforcing its rich collection, which already includes 41 works by Chardin.