The Louvre in Paris, the world’s most-visited art museum, is making a significant change by moving its most famous artwork, the Mona Lisa, to its own subterranean room. French President Emmanuel Macron made the announcement this week, stating that this move is part of a larger expansion and renovation project for the museum.
With almost nine million visitors flooding the Louvre each year, overcrowding has become a significant issue. The museum plans to create several new exhibition spaces, including one beneath the Cour Carrée where the Mona Lisa will be housed. Visitors will have the option to purchase a special ticket to enter this room and view the iconic portrait. Currently, the Mona Lisa receives up to 25,000 daily visitors, each only getting a brief moment to see it.
Laurence des Cars, the Louvre’s director, emphasized the challenges of managing such high visitor numbers. She described visiting the Louvre as a “physical ordeal” in a leaked memo, highlighting the lack of space for breaks, insufficient food and restroom facilities, and the need for redesigned signage. The renovation project aims to address these issues and improve the overall visitor experience.
The Louvre, originally built as a royal fortress in the 12th century, has undergone several transformations over the centuries. It became a public art museum in the late 18th century and saw a major renovation in the 1980s, including the addition of I.M. Pei’s iconic glass pyramid at the entrance. The upcoming renovation project will include a new entrance on the Louvre’s east side near the Seine River to help spread out visitors.
The cost of the renovation, expected to be completed by 2031, could reach hundreds of millions of dollars. Funding will come from donations, license royalties, and ticketing revenue. The Louvre’s vast collection of 500,000 artworks, with only 30,000 on display, presents a challenge in promoting its full range to visitors.
Overall, the Louvre’s renovation aims to transform the museum into a more accessible and visitor-friendly space while preserving its rich history and extensive art collection. The move of the Mona Lisa to its own dedicated room is a significant step towards achieving this goal.
