Louvre to Relocate Mona Lisa Amid Growing Concerns Over Museum's Deteriorating Conditions
President Macron Announces Major Overhaul of the World’s Most-Visited Museum After Alarming Reports
On Tuesday, President Emmanuel Macron returned to the Louvre to address growing concerns about the state of the world’s most-visited museum, following the leak of a confidential memo outlining significant issues with the facility’s conditions. Macron revealed that the iconic Mona Lisa would be moved to a specially designed space, offering independent access from the rest of the museum, as part of a comprehensive renovation and expansion project.
Speaking from the gallery housing Leonardo da Vinci's renowned masterpiece, Macron shared plans for a new museum entrance near the River Seine, as well as the development of underground rooms. Though he refrained from revealing the exact cost, estimates suggest that the project could run into the hundreds of millions of euros.
Macron hinted that part of the funding could come from increasing ticket prices for visitors from outside the European Union, as well as ramping up annual visitor numbers to 12 million.
This announcement follows reports from Le Parisien, which highlighted a leaked memo from the Louvre’s director, Laurence des Cars, to Culture Minister Rachida Dati. The memo, which raised alarms about the museum’s deteriorating state, pointed to a range of issues, including leaks, overcrowding, and temperature fluctuations that threaten the preservation of the museum’s priceless artworks.
Both the Louvre and the Elysee Palace have not responded to requests for confirmation or comment on the leaked memo’s contents.
Staff at the Louvre have echoed these concerns, with employees warning that unsafe conditions are making it increasingly difficult to manage the museum’s vast collection and ensure the safety of its visitors. Elise Muller, a museum employee, spoke about the daily challenges of maintaining operations while addressing the building's ongoing problems. “We are forced to close areas every day because of the various issues,” she said in an interview with French Radio RTL.
The Louvre Workers’ Union, SUD Culture, also expressed frustration over the museum’s declining state, noting that the deteriorating conditions led to the cancellation of a major exhibition in 2023. They have been raising concerns for over three years regarding the building's infrastructure, including faulty equipment, elevators, and escalators.
Despite these challenges, the Louvre attracted 8.7 million visitors last year, largely driven by the upcoming Paris Olympic Games. However, des Cars’ memo described the museum experience as a “physical ordeal” for visitors, citing long wait times and limited spaces for rest. The museum's most popular attraction, Mona Lisa, draws large crowds, which des Cars argued diminishes the public’s ability to appreciate the painting and its artist.
Amid this debate, Italy’s Lombardy region has offered to host the Mona Lisa temporarily, with Francesca Caruso, the regional assessor for culture, suggesting that the painting be displayed during the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. "We are ready to welcome her," Caruso wrote on social media, proposing that the painting be relocated to Milan, home of da Vinci's The Last Supper.
Since taking over as the Louvre’s director in 2021, des Cars has worked to improve accessibility, introducing measures to manage visitor flow, such as visitor caps and extended hours. However, in her memo, she acknowledged that a complete renovation would be costly and time-consuming, especially given the current budget constraints of the French government.
Culture Minister Dati confirmed that a financing plan is underway, with a proposed implementation of higher ticket prices for non-E.U. visitors by January 2026. This “differentiated tariff policy” could help generate additional funds for the museum’s long-needed upgrades.