‘Mona Lisa’ will get its own room following renovation

France's President Emmanuel Macron gives a speech in front of the painting "La Joconde" (the Mona Lisa) by Italian artist Leonardo Da Vinci at the Louvre Museum in Paris on Jan. 28, 2025. (Photo by BERTRAND GUAY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

France announced that the famed "Mona Lisa" will have its own dedicated room inside the Louvre museum. 

The room will be constructed under a new renovation project, branded "Louvre New Renaissance," and will be finished by 2031. 

Museum overhaul

Dig deeper:

The last time the Louvre got a makeover was in the 1980s, when the iconic glass pyramid was unveiled.

President Emmanuel Macron said the new expansion will include a wide entrance near the Seine River and new underground rooms. 

The renovation's cost is estimated to be between $730 and 834 million (700-800 million euros). 

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

FILE - Crowd of tourists with their phones in hand, taking photos of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa inside the Louvre Museum in Paris, France on 7 June 2024. (Photo by ANTOINE BOUREAU/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)

Water leaks and damage

The backstory:

The renovation announcement comes after the Louvre’s director, Laurence des Cars, expressed her concerns earlier this month, saying that the museum is threatened by "obsolescence."

According to a note that des Cars sent to Culture Minister Rachida Dati, she warned about the gradual degradation of the building due to 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serves at the museum’s entrance, unveiled in 1989 as part of late President François Mitterrand’s project, now appears outdated.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.

The Source: Information for this article was gathered from The Associated Press. This story was reported from Los Angeles. 

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