Louvre Museum: Should the Mona Lisa be moved?

By Agathe Hakoun 02.05.2024 from https://www.connaissancedesarts.com/

The Louvre’s president and director told France Inter that the museum and the Ministry of Culture were considering creating a new room entirely dedicated to the painting.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa could one day have its own exhibition space. Laurence des Cars said the Louvre and the Ministry of Culture are working on a better experience for the more than 20,000 visitors who come to see the masterpiece each day.

Between the request for restitution, the winner of the most disappointing work and rumors of a new room… The Mona Lisa (1503-1519) has been on everyone’s lips in recent days. Last week, the mysterious association International Restitution seized the Council of State to demand the (unlikely) repatriation of Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece (1452-1519) to Italy, on behalf of the descendants of the painter’s heirs. At the same time, the president and director of the Louvre  declared on ”  France Inter  ” that the museum and the Ministry of Culture were considering creating a new room entirely dedicated to the painting.

A debate that comes back to the table

While the first piece of news is unlikely to come to fruition, as the Mona Lisa was included in the royal collections when Francis I bought the paintings during Leonardo da Vinci’s stay in Paris, before entering the national collections during the French Revolution, the second piece of information potentially announces a future major project at the Louvre. The  Mona Lisa  exhibition had already been redesigned in 2019, when the museum’s former president and director, Jean-Luc Martinez, had reworked the presentation of the painting ahead of the retrospective event dedicated to the Renaissance master . The Salle des Etats had been closed for three months for renovation, the walls had been repainted blue, the lighting had been changed and the circulation redesigned.

Leonardo da Vinci, The Mona Lisa, 1503-1519 ©Le Parisien/Arnaud Journois

This time, the debate seems to have been rekindled following the revelation of a survey by CouponBirds, a site that offers discount coupons, which awarded the  Mona Lisa  the title of ”  the most disappointing masterpiece in the world  “. The painting received more than 37% negative reviews from visitors who participated in the survey, due to its difficulty of access and the length of its waiting line. During a management seminar on welcoming the public, Laurence des Cars reportedly announced that she wanted to change the  Mona Lisa room . ”  We don’t welcome visitors well in this room, and therefore, we feel like we’re doing our job badly,”  the president and director of the Louvre reportedly declared, according to ”  Le Figaro  ” .  Moving the Mona Lisa to a separate room could put an end to the disappointment of the public.  » Vincent Delieuvin, chief  curator of 16th century Italian painting at the Louvre, told Le Figaro  : ”  We’ve been thinking about it for a long time, but this time, everyone agrees  .” According to the specialist, the painting in its current location would give the impression of being ”  a postage stamp  ” compared to  Veronese ‘s Wedding at Cana  (1563).

View of the renovated Salle des Etats, Louvre Museum ©Guy Boyer, 2019

Combating the Disappointing Experience

The Saturday following this announcement, Laurence des Cars confirmed the rumor on the radio and said she was working with the Ministry of Culture to improve the conditions for displaying Leonardo da Vinci’s painting. 80% of visitors to the Louvre go to see  the Mona Lisa.  Last year, 9 million people visited the museum. This means that more than 20,000 visitors a day stop in the Salle des Etats to see the masterpiece behind its bulletproof glass and in its temperature and humidity control box. To combat the disappointing experience, the museum could build two new rooms in the basement, under the Cour Carrée, as well as a new access in the façade of the Colonnade to relieve congestion in the Pyramid. This work should cost 500,000 euros, according to ”  Libération  “.

View of the renovated Salle des Etats, Louvre Museum ©Guy Boyer, 2019

If this measure is finally enacted, it will certainly mark the mandate of Laurence des Cars, but will it really be beneficial to the comfort of visiting the  Mona Lisa  ? Or will it “Disneylandify” the Louvre museum? Titian , Veronese and Bassano would find the calm of their Salle des Etats and the Louvre would be returned to its real visitors, ready to roam the three floors of the Palace in search of masterpieces, from Antiquity to the 19th century. However, one can wonder if those who come for  the Mona Lisa  will queue up for Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, before going to meet the  highlights  of the museum, such as the Venus de Milo  or the  Winged Victory of Samothrace, or if they will leave after their selfie with the Mona Lisa.

Towards a Leonardland  ?

Also, would moving the painting to a dedicated room really change the waiting and contemplation time of visitors? The most famous painting in the world would undoubtedly seem less small than when it was hung opposite the  Wedding at Cana , but to justify a separate room and a complete experience, the museum could be tempted to create a permanent mini-exhibition on  the Mona Lisa, from the thematic souvenir shop with a thousand and one derivative products to multimedia content (immersive experience, video, etc.). Until now, masterpieces from major international collections are often exhibited among their contemporaries, within the visitor routes, like  Picasso’s Guernica at the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid or  Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring  at the Mauritshuis in The Hague. The Louvre could well be the first to launch a sort of  Leonardoland, a Disneyland where Mona Lisa would take Mickey’s place. Let’s see if the museum can find the right balance, letting its star shine without overshadowing its other treasures.
At the Louvre! The Hall of States

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