The Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci’s renowned Renaissance masterpiece, could soon have a new home at the Louvre in Paris. Museum officials are considering moving the iconic painting to a dedicated underground gallery to provide visitors with a better viewing experience.
The 16th century portrait is easily the Louvre’s biggest draw, attracting hordes of visitors who often spend hours queuing just to catch a brief glimpse from behind thick protective glass. The painting’s current location in the museum’s Salle des États gallery leaves many disappointed, partly because they’re hurried past after mere seconds of straining to admire the masterwork’s finer details from a distance.
“Visitors are not being properly received in the current room, so we feel we’re not doing our job properly,” explained Laurence des Cars, the Louvre’s director, to Artnews. By relocating the Mona Lisa to her own private underground space, des Cars hopes to alleviate overcrowding and improve accessibility.
The proposed new gallery would also allow visitors to flow through a queuing system designed solely for viewing the Mona Lisa at a comfortable distance and pace. Museum officials believe this controlled environment could finally provide the kind of immersive experience that the masterpiece deserves.
Of course, security remains a top priority for the valuable painting, which has been the target of vandalism and even theft over the centuries. Any new gallery space would incorporate strict protective measures like her current bulletproof glass enclosure.
Funding and construction timelines are still being determined, but the Louvre seems committed to ensuring the Mona Lisa finally gets the audience she was painted for, rather than leaving visitors underwhelmed by the Renaissance’s most iconic portrait.
