The Mona Lisa will be relocated to a new exhibition location at the Louvre in Paris as part of a renovation initiative for the world’s most visited museum.
The announcement was made by Emmanuel Macron in front of the masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci to an audience of dignitaries. The change will be implemented by 2031, and visitors will be charged separately to view the painting.
The French president described his New Renaissance initiative, which will also include an international competition to design a second entrance to alleviate the increasing pressure of visitor numbers beneath the renowned glass Pyramid.
Starting in January next year, tariff changes will lead to higher costs for non-EU visitors, increasing.
Macron responded to the Louvre’s director, Laurence des Cars, who had warned about the museum’s severe infrastructural breakdown and overcrowding.
In a letter to the government that was made public earlier this month, Ms. des Cars stated that the pyramid, which has served as the exclusive access point to the galleries since 1989, was “structurally incapable of accommodating” the current annual visitor count of over nine million.
Mona Lisa’s New Home: Enhancing the Visitor Experience at the Louvre
Additionally, she indicated that “in the view of everyone, the presentation of the Mona Lisa … is something that needs to be examined.”
The painting of Leonardo da Vinci is visited by approximately 75% of the museum’s 30,000 daily visitors. However, the experience has evolved into an endurance test, as a constant crowd is funnelled through the Salle des Etats, with an average of 50 seconds to observe the painting and take photographs.
“The public… has no way of comprehending the artist’s work, which raises questions over our whole mission of public service,” Ms des Cars stated in her correspondence.
The museum’s eastern facade, currently comprised of a classical colonnade flanked by an artificial canal and a rarely utilized esplanade, will be redesigned as part of Macron’s initiative.
A new entranceway will provide immediate access to the new underground exhibition spaces beneath the Cour Carré, which will communicate with the area beneath the pyramid.
Macron stated that the new front, the most significant alteration to the museum since President François Mitterrand’s Grand Louvre project 40 years ago, would be under the city’s plans to establish a “green” zone on the esplanade populated by trees.
He said it would facilitate the museum’s integration into the city and “return it to the Parisians.”
He further stated that the Mona Lisa’s current placement would enable the museum to exhibit it as it should be and facilitate the viewing of other masterpieces that are “too often overlooked” in the Salle des Etats.
Additionally, substantial renovations will be implemented to modernize infrastructure and establish new restrooms, restaurants, and rest facilities in the forthcoming years.
Several hundred million euros are estimated to be the total expense.
Macron stated that the project would not incur any expenses for the taxpayer, as it would be funded through ticket sales, donations, and the museum’s sponsorship agreement with the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
The president has pursued a new cause to preserve his legacy. His powers have been substantially reduced since he lost control of the French parliament six months ago.
His leadership during the widely praised post-fire renovation of Notre Dame Cathedral seems to have piqued his interest in a similar grand project at the Louvre.
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