It's all part of a major new renovation at the world's most visited museum - to fix overcrowding.
Standing in front of the iconic Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo da Vinci - the crown jewel of the museum’s collection - President Macron announced a major renovation estimated to be worth upwards of €700 million ($730 million) as well as a new, custom-built room to exclusively display the Mona Lisa, says ArtNet.
The museum’s last big renovation in the 1980s saw the creation of a vast glass pyramid by the Chinese-American architect IM Pei. But it was designed for 4 million annual visitors, and the Louvre now welcomes more than double that number.
President Macron says that the Mona Lisa’s new spot would be “independently accessible compared to the rest of the museum”, with “its own access pass”. The painting currently hangs behind protective glass in the Louvre’s largest room, which also features 16th century works by Venetian masters. But overcrowding is a major problem, as visitors try to catch a glimpse of it through a forest of arms holding up mobile phones.
Last year, the Louvre had 8.7 million visitors, and Macron said the museum aimed to welcome 12 million visitors a year once it had been renovated.
The renovation will include what Macron called a “new grand entrance” near the Seine, to be opened in 2031, as well as the creation of underground rooms which will expand exhibition space.
The glass pyramid, unveiled in 1989 as part of the late president François Mitterrand’s Louvre project, will remain but now is problematic as the only arrival point for the museum’s visitors.
Macron, who chose the Louvre as the backdrop to his presidential victory speech in 2017, decided to personally address the museum’s crisis. After the recent renovation of Notre Dame cathedral five years after it was damaged by fire, the Louvre could be Macron’s next legacy project.