Louvre Museum Launches $316 Million Expansion Competition to Ease Overcrowding
Facing overcrowding and staff strikes, Paris’s Louvre Museum initiates a $316 million architectural competition to build new entrances and underground galleries, with a dedicated space for the Mona Lisa.
Paris’s Louvre Museum is seeking fresh architectural designs for a $316 million expansion, aiming to ease overcrowding and upgrade visitor experience — including a new dedicated space for the Mona Lisa.
The move follows a recent strike by museum staff protesting severe overcrowding and understaffing that left thousands of tourists stranded outside. Visitors reported long waits and no clear communication during the walkout.
The competition calls for a second entrance on the Louvre’s eastern side by the Seine River, integrated into the historic 17th-century colonnade to complement the iconic glass pyramid entrance. Plans also include new underground exhibition spaces beneath the palace’s Cour Carrée courtyard.
Central to the project is a specially designed 33,000-square-foot room for Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Currently, the painting is shielded by barriers and surrounded by crowds, reducing the viewing experience to flashes of phone screens and jostling elbows. The new space promises shorter lines and a setting designed for quiet contemplation, with separate timed tickets.
Construction is slated for completion by 2031, but staff warn that immediate relief is needed. “We can’t wait six years for help,” said a gallery attendant, highlighting the urgent strain on personnel.
With nearly nine million visitors annually, the Louvre’s current entrance no longer meets demand, prompting calls for innovative solutions to preserve both art and visitor experience at the world’s most-visited museum.
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