Over the weekend, Beyoncé and JAY-Z surprised the world with the sudden drop of their first collaborative album, Everything Is Love. The album, which was released by the duo under the name The Carters, was accompanied by a lavish video for the Quavo-featuring single "Apeshit." Filmed on location in the Louvre in Paris, the Ricky Saiz-directed video also acts as a very effective commercial for the iconic museum, so it makes sense that the Louvre agreed to it.
“Beyoncé and JAY-Z visited the Louvre four times in the last ten years. During their last visit in May 2018, they explained their idea of filming,” a spokesperson explained to Vulture. “The deadlines were very tight but the Louvre was quickly convinced because the synopsis showed a real attachment to the museum and its beloved artworks.”
It's not all that surprising that the Louvre would agree to the super-famous couple wanting to shoot there, but it is pretty shocking that the museum reportedly costs about $17,500 for people to get the privilege to film there. As The New York Times points out, around 500 shoots take place at the Louvre every year, with Wonder Woman and Fifty Shades Freed among recent notable examples. Vulture notes that the Louvre wouldn't comment on how much the couple paid to rent out the museum for the shoot.
This isn't the first time the couple posed together in front of the Mona Lisa, but it is a little more polished than the selfies they shared during their 2014 visit.
