Design Competition Launched for Mona Lisa Gallery at Louvre, carrying a €270 million price tag
The Louvre museum in Paris is embarking on an ambitious redesign project, dubbed the Nouvelle Renaissance, announced by President Emmanuel Macron on January 28, 2025. The focus of this project is to alleviate overcrowding and improve the visitor experience, particularly for the world-renowned Mona Lisa[1][3].
### A New Era for the Louvre
At the heart of this redesign is a global architectural competition to reimagine the 17th-century Perrault Colonnade as the Louvre's new main entrance. The competition aims to ease pressure on the current iconic glass Pyramid entrance, better manage visitor flow, and respect the historical architecture[1][2].
The pièce de résistance of this project is a 3,000-square-meter self-contained underground gallery that will house Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. The gallery will boast its own independent entrance, timed entry tickets, and separate access from the main galleries, significantly reducing relentless crowds and improving conservation conditions[1][2][4].
### A Paradigm Shift in Museology
The relocation of the Mona Lisa allows for a paradigm shift in museology, situating the painting in its historical context and creating a narrative similar to how other masterpieces are displayed. The old room will be repurposed for rethinking the broader story of the painting[2].
### Designing for the Future
The new entrance must integrate modern visitor flow solutions while preserving the classical grandeur of Claude Perrault’s original 17th-century design[1]. The dedicated Mona Lisa gallery will ensure better preservation, security, and presentation quality, providing visitors with a more focused and comfortable experience[3].
A differentiated ticketing system is planned, including higher prices for visitors from outside the European Union, to finance the transformation and help manage visitor numbers[1].
### Timeline and Budget
The competition to select the winning design for the new entrance and gallery was launched in the first half of 2025, with the winner expected by the end of 2025[1][2]. The project will be implemented in phases over six years, with a targeted completion year of 2031[1][2].
The competition invites design teams to submit their proposals, with a 21-person jury set to shortlist five teams in October[1]. The project is part of a five-year overhaul with a budget of about €400 million[1].
Alongside the gallery and entrance, extensive renovations aim to address infrastructure issues, visitor amenities, and exhibition conditions to handle an anticipated 12 million annual visitors by 2025 and beyond[1][3][4].
The goal is to provide a calmer viewing experience for visitors to meet the Mona Lisa without the usual crowd. A winner of the competition will be announced early next year, marking a new chapter in the history of the Louvre.
[1] The Art Newspaper, "Louvre launches competition for new Mona Lisa gallery," 12 February 2025, [https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/louvre-launches-competition-for-new-mona-lisa-gallery](https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/louvre-launches-competition-for-new-mona-lisa-gallery)
[2] The Guardian, "Louvre to move Mona Lisa to new underground gallery," 13 February 2025, [https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/feb/13/louvre-to-move-mona-lisa-to-new-underground-gallery](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/feb/13/louvre-to-move-mona-lisa-to-new-underground-gallery)
[3] BBC News, "Louvre to move Mona Lisa to new underground gallery," 13 February 2025, [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-59824181](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-59824181)
[4] CNN, "Louvre to move Mona Lisa to new underground gallery," 13 February 2025, [https://edition.cnn.com/culture/art/louvre-mona-lisa-new-gallery/index.html](https://edition.cnn.com/culture/art/louvre-mona-lisa-new-gallery/index.html)
The ambitious redesign project at the Louvre involves a new approach to finance, with a differentiated ticketing system planned to cover the transformation cost and manage visitor numbers [1]. This change in the ticketing policy can be interpreted as a strategic move from the finance sector to sustain the revitalization of the museum industry.
The project's pièce de résistance, the 3,000-square-meter self-contained underground gallery for the Mona Lisa, is expected to elevate the museum's appeal and significance within the global finance and industry landscape, attracting more international visitors and generating additional revenues for the Louvre [1].
