Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
French President Emmanuel Macron announced Tuesday a new restoration and expansion project for the world's most visited museum, the Louvre in Paris.
"It's a reimagined Louvre, restored, enlarged, which fully becomes the epicenter of art history for our country and beyond," Macron said during his speech in front of the "Mona Lisa" painting.
The project, called the Louvre New Renaissance, will create an additional entrance to accompany the museum's famous glass pyramid, which was completed in 1989, along with a new home for Leonardo Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa."
The painting's new "special place" will be built in the Carré courtyard and will be accessible "independently" from the rest of the museum, Macron said.
To view the "Mona Lisa" once the renovation is complete, guests will need to purchase an "access ticket" that's separate from their general museum admission, which Macron said would help minimize overcrowding and create a "different and more peaceful attendance, which will go with what the 'Mona Lisa' deserves."
Ticket prices for the Louvre will be increased for foreign visitors from other countries and from countries that are not members of the European Union. The price differences should go into effect on Jan. 1, 2026, according to Macron.
Macron did not specify how expensive the restoration and expansion project will be but said he would "talk about it again in detail."
"A lot of people might say, 'It's totally untimely to come and talk about a huge cultural project while the world seems to be a mess and the budget discussion continues,'" Macron said. "I would like to tell you, we can find a way."
The last time the "Mona Lisa" was relocated was in 2019, when the room that housed the iconic painting was being renovated.
