The Museé du Louvre is set to undergo a major renovation and expansion project that would devote an entire room for the Mona Lisa, French President Emmanuel Macron announced Monday, January 28.
The news comes almost a year after an external review of visitor experiences to the Louvre revealed that Leonardo da Vinci’s languid lass took first place in the “most disappointing viewing experience” and the “most underwhelming masterpiece,” prompting the museum to float the idea of a new space for her independent display altogether.
But what does a room of one’s own look like for the woman with the mysterious smile? Macron suggested that Lisa del Giacondo will have an enormous basement-level chamber that will offer access independent of that of the rest of the museum. Here at Hyperallergic, we took it upon ourselves to imagine a few possibilities for Lisa’s new headquarters …
Along with a new room with independent access for Lisa del Giocondo, Macron explained that the museum’s “Nouvelle Renaissance” project would include additional entrances at the glass pyramid and eastern façade; connecting large swaths of underground space beneath the square courtyard for additional exhibition rooms, educational areas, and better visitor circulation; improved sanitation, water- and fireproofing, and access for visitors with disabilities; and elevated electrical and computer networks, and video surveillance.
The French president noted that the massive undertaking wouldn’t come at a cost to Parisians because it would be financed by the museum’s sponsorship deal with Louvre Abu Dhabi as well as plans to increase admission prices for visitors coming from outside of the European Union starting next January. The French Ministry of Culture has already committed some €10 million (~$10.42 million) to support the site study before work commences. Through the expansion project, the museum is looking to increase its annual attendance from 9 million to 12 million guests and double the number of visiting school children.
Macron said that work is set to begin in 2025 itself, as the Louvre intends on accepting architectural proposals later this year for the expansion to hopefully be inaugurated by 2031, though a spokesperson for the museum told Hyperallergic in an email that the “architectural project and specifications are currently being studied, so it is still too early to discuss the details of the project.”
The expansion announcement comes less than a week after Le Parisien published a leaked confidential memo between Louvre President Laurence des Cars and French Minister of Culture Rachida Dati.
Des Cars’s memo outlined her concerns about the museum’s facilities, including poor temperature control and the greenhouse effect caused by the “structurally-outdated” glass pyramid, insufficient signage and food and bathroom amenities, damage or degradation to various spaces throughout the museum, increased water damage from leaks, and the overall experience of viewing the Mona Lisa in the Salle des États gallery.
In June of 2022, des Cars moved to cap daily admissions at 30,000 visitors in an effort to optimize the visitor experience after years of overcrowding complaints.
With visitor satisfaction in mind, we certainly hope that the Louvre is open to our suggestions …
