The Louvre Museum in the evening. (Photo: Pedro Szekely via Wikimedia Commons, CC 2.0)
The Louvre, which happens to be the world’s largest and most visited museum, is on the verge of undergoing an ambitious, $316 million renovation. The project seeks to address overcrowding by incorporating an additional entrance near the Seine River and a special exhibition area housing Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. On June 27, the Louvre officially launched an international architecture competition, whose winner will design the museum’s new entrance and exhibition hall.
As one of the most renowned paintings in all of art history, it should come as no surprise that the Mona Lisa demands her own dedicated space. Right now, viewing the 16th-century masterpiece is often underwhelming if not completely dissatisfying—visitors have to push through hoards of other guests only to catch the most precursory glimpse of the Mona Lisa. The new space, which the brief specifies must be about 33,000 square feet, intends to offer more breathing room, as well as a history lesson, detailing the painting’s origin, its infamous theft in 1911, and its enduring impact upon contemporary art production. Visitors will need to purchase separate, timed tickets to enter the subterranean space, which will be situated beneath the Cour Carrée, the Louvre’s easternmost courtyard.
“Our aim is to offer a high-quality encounter with this masterpiece,” Laurence des Cars, the Louvre’s president, said in an interview with Le Monde, adding that the space must facilitate “genuine time for contemplation.”
“[The painting] is viewed in a matter of seconds from a distance of several meters,” François Chatillon, the Louvre’s chief architect, echoed. “For this new space, the curators want the painting to be closer to visitors, more on their scale.”
As for the new entrance, Louvre officials hope that it will help alleviate pressure caused by overcrowding. Though I.M. Pei’s iconic pyramid could welcome countless new visitors when it was first constructed in the 1980s, it isn’t sufficient enough at this point to “accommodate the 9 million visitors who flock to our museum every year,” des Cars explained. In fact, Louvre staff staged an unannounced strike on June 16, protesting the tremendous difficulties in managing the constant flood of guests, especially alongside the museum’s increasingly outdated infrastructure.
The design competition seeks to address these challenges, while rejuvenating and modernizing the museum for larger audiences. The competition’s five finalists will be announced by a 21-person jury in October, with the overall winner selected early next year.
To learn more, visit the Louvre’s website.
The Louvre has announced an architecture competition for their $316 million renovation, in which the museum will add an additional entrance and a special exhibition hall for the Mona Lisa.
Courtyard of the Louvre Museum, featuring its iconic pyramid. (Photo: Alvesgaspar via Wikimedia Commons, CC 3.0)
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Sources: Louvre Opens Design Competition for $316 Million Expansion; France Opens Competition to Expand Overcrowded Louvre; Mona Lisa to Get Her Own Room as the Overcrowded Louvre Expands
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