With thousands of tourists visiting the famous Louvre Museum every day, enjoying art is becoming increasingly challenging. Crowded rooms and queues make it particularly hard to appreciate the most famous art pieces, such as The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. The room with The Mona Lisa is by far the most attended museum space in the world, but popularity comes with a price, causing the need for the Louvre restoration.
Enjoying the masterpiece is almost impossible because of the protective glass and dozens of people trying to take photos and videos of it. Due to the high demand, every visitor has approximately 50 seconds to watch the painting, which is barely enough to get closer to it to catch a quick glimpse. For this reason, in January 2025, President Emmanuel Macron announced that the Museum would undergo a much-needed renovation that would help, among other things, make the celebrated painting more accessible to the public.
According to Macron, a separate room with its own access would ease pressure from overcrowding. Entry will require a special ticket. It is hoped that the restoration project will be finished by 2031.
The new room for The Mona Lisa is only a small part of an ambitious Louvre restoration plan, which will also affect the exterior of the Museum. For example, President Macron announced that a new grand entrance would be created by the River Seine, helping disperse the visitor flows. Currently, an international competition is open to select an architect to guide the work. The upgrade is estimated to cost approximately €700 million. In order to complete the restoration, most of which will be funded by the Museum itself, the Louvre administration plans to increase entry fees for non-EU visitors.
However, it is yet unclear what changes, if any, will affect the overall functioning of the centuries-old building. The museum administration has complained of water leaks and alarming temperature fluctuations due to improper insulation, which endangers the conservation of precious exhibits. Visitors, in turn, reported problems with museum navigation due to insufficient signage, the lack of space for a break, and insufficient sanitary and food facilities.
The previous upgrade to the Louvre was completed in 1989 and involved constructing the iconic glass pyramid entrance, now considered an iconic landmark. Designed by the Chinese-American architect IM Pei, the pyramid was supposed to help welcome four million visitors annually. However, the Museum is currently attended by more than double that number.
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