Mona Lisa will have her own room under a major renovation of the Louvre

The museum’s big renovation in the 1980s was designed to receive 4 million annual visitors. Last year, the Louvre received 8.7 million visitors, more than 75 per cent being foreigners mostly from the United States, China and neighbouring countries Italy, the UK, Germany and Spain.

Macron said the renovation would allow up to 12 million visits each year.

Costly and complex overhaul

Macron said that a new entrance for the Louvre will be created near the Seine by 2031, to be financed by ticket sales, patronage and licensing money from the museum’s Abu Dhabi branch.

A design competition will be staged in the coming months, he said. In addition, new rooms will be created under the eastern courtyard and linked to the existing exhibition spaces.

A French top official said that the cost of the renovation was estimated at €700 to €800 million over the next decade, including half for the creation of the new entrance. The official couldn’t be named in line with the French presidency’s customary practices.

Macron said that ticket prices would be raised for foreign visitors from outside the European Union, up from €22 ($36) now. He promised the museum would be safer and more comfortable for both the public and employees.

Comparing the project to Notre Dame’s recent reopening, Macron said that “the redesigned Louvre, restored and expanded, will become the epicentre of art history for our country and beyond.”

Half the Louvre’s budget is being financed by the French government, including the wages of the 2200 employees.

The other half is provided by private funds including ticket sales, earnings from restaurants, shops and bookings for special events, as well as patrons and other partners.

Water leaks and other damage

The renovation announcement came after Louvre Director Laurence des Cars expressed her concerns in a note to Culture Minister Rachida Dati earlier this month saying that the museum is threatened by “obsolescence.”

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According to the document first released by French newspaper Le Parisien, she warned about the gradual degradation of the building because of water leaks, temperature variations and other issues “endangering the preservation of artworks.”

The pyramid that serves at the museum’s entrance, unveiled in 1989 as part of late president François Mitterrand’s project, now appears outdated. The place isn’t properly insulated from the cold and the heat, and it tends to amplify noise, making the space uncomfortable for both the public and the staff, des Cars said.

In addition, the museum suffers from a lack of food options and restroom facilities, she said.

AP