For almost ten years, Napoleon III had the Louvre expanded. He wanted to make it the most beautiful museum in Europe. Red and gold were the two colours chosen to reflect the splendour of the Empire. The painter and architect Alexandre-Dominique Denuelle (1818-1879) decorated the two big rooms Daru and Mollien in 1863. Since their creation, the rooms have been restored to their exact original appearance several times. The current red colour of the walls was made by Pierre Soulages in 1969. The artist was inspired by the famous Pompeian red that adorned the rich villas of Herculaneum and Pompeii.