Napoleon wanted to make the former king’s residence an incomparable sanctuary for the treasures scattered throughout the Empire and an artistic showcase for his reign. Modernized, refurbished, organized into a gallery for the pride of ancient and modern Europe, the palace was placed in the care of the greatest artists of the time. Denon, Visconti, Percier, Fontaine and David contributed to the development of a museum unlike any other in the world, a genuine universal encyclopedia of the arts.