The French president said the project would be paid for by the museum’s own resources and private donors, not taxpayer money.
PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled plans to build a new entrance to the Louvre and move the “Mona Lisa” to its own room as part of an ambitious renovation project at the world’s most-visited museum.
Macron’s announcement, which he made standing beside Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, comes as his government is looking to bring down public spending and as the Louvre itself faces challenges updating some of its increasingly dilapidated infrastructure.
The proposal, Macron said, would see the Mona Lisa moved to an “independently accessible” part of the museum where visitors would be charged separately.
“At a time when immediacy and forceful rhetoric seem to have hypnotic power … talking about long-term issues, culture and art is one of the messages that France can deliver to the world,” said Macron, who celebrated his first presidential victory in front of the Louvre Pyramid.
Macron did not put a price tag on what he called the “new Louvre Renaissance.” He said it would be paid for by the museum’s own resources and private donors, not taxpayer money. However, most donations are tax deductible, and the French government needs all the revenue it can get if it hopes to start closing its widening budget deficit.
Prime Minister François Bayrou’s government has already proposed €53 billion worth of tax hikes and spending cuts, and the government has already warned that it would not sign off on big investments for the Louvre.
Still, the Ministry of Culture will spend €10 million to explore the project’s development — a figure which has been priced in to the current budgetary discussions, Macron said. The French president also signed off on an idea put forward by Culture Minister Rachida Dati to increase ticket prices for non-European visitors — a proposal she also put forward for Notre Dame Cathedral, which reopened last month to much fanfare.
But many who work in or with the museum say money should be spent on much-needed refurbishments before embarking on any new construction.
A leaked note published by daily newspaper Le Parisien on Wednesday detailed the museum’s dire state, listing several defects such as extreme temperatures and water-tightness issues that threaten the well-being of the artworks on display.
The situation isn’t new. An internal Louvre report from July 2023 seen by POLITICO said that €60 million worth refurbishments were urgently needed to address everything from the “dilapidated state of HVAC” to “repeated breakdowns … on escalators and elevators.”
Valérie Baud, a member of the Louvre’s board and representative for the museum’s largest union, the CFDT, stressed that “the renovation needs were known by those concerned, by the staff’s representatives, by the ministry,” and insisted that funding should mostly be directed toward improving conditions for workers and visitors alike rather than new projects.
Macron acknowledged the challenges the Louvre faces with its decaying environs, but said that given the increased attendance — the museum welcomes about 9 million visitors a year — the new entrance should be a priority.
When asked about the need for improvements before Macron’s Tuesday announcement, the Louvre declined to comment. The French Ministry of Culture did not respond to a request for comment.
