Emmanuel Macron has promised to return the Louvre to its former glory in an ambitious renovation project that is forecast to cost between €700 and €800 million (£586 and £670 million). The French president outlined details of what he called his ‘New Renaissance’ project on Tuesday as he stood in front of the Mona Lisa. As part of the revamp, Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece will have its own room and visitors will pay for the privilege of seeing the enigmatic smile.
Other initiatives include a second entrance – to ease the current congestion of 30,000 visitors a day – and a new entrance fee from next January that will require non-EU visitors to pay more. There will also be a comprehensive overhaul of the museum’s infrastructure, from galleries to bathrooms.
Macron made his announcement in response to a damning interview earlier in the month by the president of the Louvre, Laurence des Cars, who said that some parts of the gallery were in ‘a state of serious disrepair’, citing rooms that were no longer watertight and others that were subjected to worrying swings in temperature, endangering the conservation of paintings.
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