‘Mona Lisa’ will get its own room under a major renovation of the Louvre

French President Emmanuel Macron announced Tuesday that the "Mona Lisa" volition get its ain dedicated country wrong the Louvre depository nether a large renovation and enlargement of the Paris landmark that volition instrumentality up to a decade.

The renovation project, branded "Louvre New Renaissance," volition see a wide caller entranceway adjacent the Seine River, to beryllium opened by 2031, Macron said successful a code from the country wherever Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece is displayed.

PURPORTED EARLIER VERSION OF DA VINCI'S 'MONA LISA' WOWS ART LOVERS AFTER GOING ON DISPLAY

Macron didn't disclose an nonstop magnitude budgeted for the task to modernize the world's astir visited museum, which is plagued with overcrowding and outdated facilities. But it's estimated to scope up to 800 cardinal euros ($834 million).

The Louvre's past overhaul dates backmost to the 1980s, erstwhile the iconic solid pyramid was unveiled.

A look astatine what's astatine stake:

Move designed to marque Louvre acquisition easier

Macron said the enlargement of the depository volition let the "Mona Lisa" to beryllium moved to a new, dedicated country accessible to visitors done a peculiar ticket. That volition marque the sojourn simpler for those who privation to spot the coating and easiness the acquisition of different visitors successful the remainder of the museum, helium said.

"Conditions of display, mentation and presumption volition beryllium up to what the ‘Mona Lisa’ deserves," helium said.

Leonardo's masterpiece is present being shown down protective solid successful the museum’s largest room, overcrowded with long, noisy lines of visitors anxious to instrumentality a selfie with the groundbreaking representation of the pistillate with the enigmatic smile. That makes immoderate different paintings successful the country by Venetian painters similar Titian and Veronese spell unnoticed by many.

The museum’s large renovation successful the 1980s was designed to person 4 cardinal yearly visitors.

Last year, the Louvre received 8.7 cardinal visitors, much than 75% being foreigners mostly from the United States, China and neighboring countries Italy, the U.K., Germany and Spain.

Costly and analyzable overhaul

Macron said that a caller entranceway for the Louvre volition beryllium created adjacent the Seine by 2031, to beryllium financed by summons sales, patronage and licensing wealth from the museum's Abu Dhabi branch.

A plan contention volition beryllium staged successful the coming months, helium said. In addition, immoderate caller underground rooms volition beryllium created to grow the museum.

A French apical authoritative said that the outgo of the renovation is estimated astatine 700 to 800 cardinal euros ($730 to 834 million) implicit the adjacent decade, including fractional for the instauration of the caller entrance. The authoritative couldn't beryllium named successful enactment with the French presidency’s customary practices.

Macron said that summons prices would beryllium raised for overseas visitors from extracurricular the European Union, up from 22 euros ($23) now. He promised the depository would beryllium safer and much comfy for some the nationalist and employees.

Comparing the task to Notre Dame's caller reopening, Macron said that "the redesigned Louvre, restored and expanded, volition go the epicenter of creation past for our state and beyond."

Half the Louvre's fund is being financed by the French government, including the wages of the 2,200 employees.

The different fractional is provided by backstage funds including summons sales, net from restaurants, shops and bookings for peculiar events, arsenic good arsenic patrons and different partners.

Water leaks and different damage

The renovation announcement came aft Louvre Director Laurence des Cars expressed her concerns successful a enactment to Culture Minister Rachida Dati earlier this period saying that the depository is threatened by "obsolescence."

According to the papers archetypal released by French paper Le Parisien, she warned astir the gradual degradation of the gathering due to the fact that of h2o leaks, somesthesia variations and different issues "endangering the preservation of artworks."

The pyramid that serves astatine the museum’s entrance, unveiled successful 1989 arsenic portion of precocious President François Mitterrand’s project, present appears outdated. The spot isn't decently insulated from the acold and the heat, and it tends to amplify noise, making the abstraction uncomfortable for some the nationalist and the staff, des Cars said.

In addition, the depository suffers from a deficiency of nutrient options and restroom facilities, she said.