Macron announces major overhaul to modernise Louvre and move the Mona Lisa
The renovation will include a new entrance near the River Seine and the creation of underground rooms.
French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that the Mona Lisa will get its own dedicated room inside the Louvre museum, which he said will be renovated and expanded in a major overhaul that will take years to complete.
The renovation, branded Louvre New Renaissance, will include a new entrance near the River Seine, to be opened by 2031, and the creation of underground rooms, Mr Macron said in a speech from the Louvre room where the Mona Lisa is displayed.
Mr Macron did not disclose an exact amount budgeted for the project to modernise the most-visited museum in the world, plagued with overcrowding and outdated facilities, but it is estimated to reach up to 800 million euros (£671 million).
The Louvre’s latest overhaul dates back to the 1980s, when the iconic glass pyramid was unveiled. However, the museum is not up to international standards anymore.
The pyramid that serves at the museum’s entrance, unveiled in 1989 as part of late President Francois Mitterrand’s project, now appears outdated.
Mr Macron said the expansion of the museum will allow the Mona Lisa to be moved to a new, dedicated room that will be accessible to visitors through a special ticket.
It will make the visit simpler for those who want to see the painting and ease the experience of other visitors in the rest of the museum, he said.
At present, the Mona Lisa is shown behind protective glass in the museum’s largest room, which is often overcrowded with long, noisy queues of visitors eager to take a selfie with Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece.
Some other paintings in the room by the greatest Venetian painters like Titian and Veronese go unnoticed by many.
The museum’s latest big renovation in the 1980s was designed to receive four million annual visitors.
Last year, the Louvre received 8.7 million visitors, more than three-quarters being foreigners mostly from the United States, China and neighbouring countries Italy, the UK, Germany and Spain.
A design competition is to be staged in the coming months, Mr Macron announced. In addition, some new underground rooms will be created to expand the museum.
A French top official said the cost of the renovation is estimated at 700 to 800 million euros (£587 to £671 million) over the next 10 years, including half for the creation of the new entrance.
Mr Macron said ticket prices will be raised for foreign visitors from outside the European Union, up from 22 euros (£18) now.
He promised the museum would be safer and more comfortable for both the public and the staff.
Half of the Louvre’s budget is financed by the French state, including the wages of the 2,200 employees.
The other half is provided by private funds including ticket sales, earnings from restaurants, shops and bookings for special events, as well as patrons and other partners. That includes the United Arab Emirates financing for the right to use the brand for the Louvre Abu Dhabi museum.
The renovation announcement comes after Louvre director Laurence des Cars expressed a series of concerns to Culture Minister Rachida Dati earlier this month, saying the museum is threatened by “obsolescence”.
According to the document first released by French newspaper Le Parisien, Ms des Cars warned about the gradual degradation of the building due to water leaks, temperature variations and other issues “endangering the preservation of artworks”.
The place is not properly insulated from the cold and the heat tends to amplify noise, making the space uncomfortable for both the public and the staff, Ms des Cars stressed.
In addition, the museum suffers from a lack of food offerings and restroom facilities, she said.
