PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron announced Tuesday that the “Mona Lisa” will get its own dedicated room inside the Louvre museum under a major renovation and expansion of the Paris landmark that will take up to 10 years.
The renovation project, branded “Louvre New Renaissance,” will include a new entrance near the River Seine, to be opened by 2031, and the creation of underground rooms, Macron said in a speech from the Louvre room where Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece is displayed.
Macron did not disclose an exact amount budgeted for the project to modernize the most visited museum in the world, plagued with overcrowding and outdated facilities. But it is estimated to reach up to 800 million euros ($834 million).
The Louvre's latest overhaul dates back to the 1980s, when the iconic glass pyramid was unveiled. Now, the museum is not up to international standards anymore.
A look at what's at stake:
Mona Lisa to get its own room?
Macron said the expansion of the museum will allow the “Mona Lisa” to be moved to a new, dedicated room accessible to visitors through a special ticket. That will make the visit simpler for those who want to see the painting and ease the life of other visitors in the rest of the museum, he said.
The “Mona Lisa” is now being shown behind protective glass in the museum’s largest room, overcrowded with long, noisy queues of visitors eager to take a selfie with Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece. That makes 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 4 million annual visitors.
Last year, the Louvre received 8.7 million visitors, over three-quarters being foreigners mostly from the United States, China and neighboring countries Italy, the UK, Germany and Spain.
A costly and complex overhaul
Macron said a new entrance for the Louvre will be created near the River Seine by 2031, to be financed by ticket sales, patronage and licensing money from the museum's Abu Dhabi branch.
A design competition is to be staged in the coming months, he said. 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 ($730 to 834 million) over the next ten years, including half for the creation of the new entrance. The official could not be named in line with the French presidency’s customary practices.
Macron said ticket prices will be raised for foreign visitors from outside the European Union, up from 22 euros ($23) now. He promised the museum will be safer and more comfortable for both the public and the staff.
Half the Louvre's budget is currently being 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.
Water leaks and other damage
The renovation announcement comes after Louvre Director Laurence des Cars expressed her concerns in a note 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, she warned about the gradual degradation of the building due to water leaks, temperature variations and other issues “endangering the preservation of artworks.”
The pyramid that serves at the museum’s entrance, unveiled in 1989 as part of late President François Mitterrand’s project, now appears outdated. The place is not properly insulated from the cold and the heat and tends to amplify noise, making the space uncomfortable for both the public and the staff, des Cars stressed.
In addition, the museum suffers from a lack of food offerings and restroom facilities, she said.
