
General disrepair, dilapidation and general damage: a confidential memo sent to the French Ministry of Culture revealed the worrying state of deterioration at the Louvre. Alarmed by Laurence des Cars, president of the institution, Emmanuel Macron promised to “come to the Louvre’s bedside”. The Head of State spoke on Tuesday January 28 from a podium set up in front of the Mona Lisa. Here are the main announcements.
What can be done to help the Louvre? Emmanuel Macron’s announcements
In a memo dated January 13, 2025, Laurence des Cars, Chairman and Director of the Louvre, alerted the government to the state of her museum. Numerous general problems with the Louvre’s dilapidated state were highlighted, including “increasing damage in spaces that are sometimes in a state of serious disrepair”, “obsolescence” of “technical equipment” and “temperature variations that endanger the integrity of the works” . Added to this were concerns about Ieoh Ming Pei’s pyramid, “structurally outdated”, and the Mona Lisa, whose location and access were often criticized. The museum’s single entrance and lack of sanitary facilities have also been criticized.
And while the figure of 500 million euros has been bandied about as the budget for possible renovations, rumors have been rife of other possible sources of funding. Emmanuel Macron visited the museum on Tuesday, January 28, and announced a number of measures.
With the “Louvre: New Renaissance” project, Emmanuel Macron announced a redesigned, restored and enlarged museum. Firstly, the creation of a new grand entrance, via an architectural competition, on the side of Perrault’s Colonnade was announced. This will take 6 years to complete.
The second announcement concerns the creation of underground passageways beneath the Cour Carrée, new paths and new spaces, including exhibition halls. It is in this new configuration that the Mona Lisa will now be exhibited, accessible with its own admission ticket.
On the subject of admission charges, an increase in the price of admission for non-EU citizens was also announced. This measure will come into force in 2026.