The building of the Louvre in its present form was begun in 1546 by François I , who also founded the royal collections, acquiring works by Leonardo , Raphael , and Titian . Louis XIV was both the most enthusiastic developer of the site and the most heroic art collector (buying in 1661 much of the Mazarin Collection that contained many paintings owned by Charles I of England), and under him the collection was briefly moved into the Louvre. When Versailles was established, however, the collection was dispersed.
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