WillMona Lisa be moving soon? That's what French President Emmanuel Macron said at a press conference at the Louvre on January 28. The President announced the creation of a new room under the Cour Carré, where the Mona Lisa will be installed. This special, dedicated space will be accessible independently of the Musée du Louvre.
We now know a little more about this room... Laurence des Cars, the museum's director, gave some details to our colleagues in Le Parisien on February 7, 2025. We learn that the space that will house the Mona Lisa will be 2,000 m2, roughly three times the size of the room in which she is currently exhibited. "It will be a moment of contemplation in a pleasant and innovative way, which is not the case at present", she explains to our confrères. And she adds that it will be the only work on display in the new room. The space will be designed by an architect selected through an international competition to be held in 2026. The winner will be able to design the new room,"from the entrance to its eastern end, near the Louvre-Rivoli metro station", as our Huffpost colleagues report.
At present, the Mona Lisa is located in the department of Italian paintings, in the Salle des Etats, just opposite Veronese's Marriage at Cana. It's a real obstacle course to see it, as you have to cross a good part of the department to get to the room, the largest in the museum, and then squeeze through the visitors to catch a glimpse. Nor is it the easiest work to see, even from a distance. In all, over 20,000 visitors come to see it every day, as our Huffpost colleagues also report.
For the time being, no date has been given for its relocation (which is likely to provoke a good deal of comment and reaction), as the hall beneath the Cour Carré is to be fitted out to accommodate it. But the target date is 2031. Also under discussion: a specific fee structure for access to this new hall, although nothing is set in stone for the time being. Opening hours should also be extended beyond 6pm. As for the four other works by Leonardo da Vinci on display at the Louvre, namely La Vierge aux rochers, La Belle Ferronnière, Saint-Jean-Baptiste and Sainte-Anne, these"will be relocated within the Grande Galerie de peinture italienne and the Salle des États", according to the Huffpost. Another new room will also be created, adjacent to the future Mona Lisa room, and also measuring 2,000 m2.
Note that this is not the first time there has been talk of moving the Mona Lisa... As reported by RTL, Laurence des Cars, current director of the Musée du Louvre, submitted a project in 2022 suggesting that Leonardo da Vinci 's painting be moved to isolate it and make it more accessible to visitors. A move that should happen soon.
