That's great, Blossombrooks. I'm sure you'll have a good time.
I gave myself a crash course on French art before we went. My pal Diego Jourdan shared this video with me. If you're going to know one artist when visiting the Louvre, Jacques-Louis David is the person to be aware of.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY2EqAKpKzg
Random bits of advice for Paris:
-You can reserve a time to go up the Eiffel Tower on its website. You're gambling because you might pick a day with poor weather, but really cuts down on waiting in lines.
-European washrooms frequently have attendants, and you need to pay them half a euro or so to use them. So keep some change on you all the time. (This is probably the worst thing I can say about Europe and European culture. I wouldn't mind paying to use a washroom if it was noticeably cleaner than North American public washrooms, but that's not the case at all. Not trying to freak anyone out, but I generally found washrooms in Europe less clean than North American ones.)