The "Mona Lisa" will be moved from the Louvre due to large crowds of tourists.

During the presentation of the Louvre's restoration project "New Renaissance," French President Emmanuel Macron announced that Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting "Mona Lisa" will be moved from the Louvre to a separate location. This decision is due to the poor condition of the museum building, which receives a large number of visitors. At a press conference on January 28, Macron stated that tickets for viewing the Mona Lisa will be sold separately, as reported by The Guardian.

It is worth noting that the French authorities initiated the Louvre restoration project following statements from the museum's director, Laurence des Cars. She reported on the poor condition of the building due to flooding and temperature fluctuations, which threaten the proper preservation of the exhibits.

Laurence des Cars also drew attention to the high number of visitors. The director proposed placing Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" in a separate room, as it has the longest queue for viewing among the artworks.

According to Macron, the new space where the painting will be housed will be located near the museum. The president believes that the "Mona Lisa" has long deserved its own exhibition area. He also suggested increasing ticket prices for visitors from outside the European Union starting in 2026.

The Louvre building itself will undergo expansion and restoration. New galleries are to be constructed to accommodate no less than 12 million visitors per year. As part of the extensive renovation, an additional grand entrance will be built on the side of the Seine River. This will provide comfortable access to the museum for both Parisians and tourists.

The restoration of the Louvre is expected to be completed by 2031. However, until then, the museum will continue to operate and welcome visitors.

Additionally, in 2024, the Louvre attracted 8.7 million visitors (80% of whom were foreigners). Currently, the "Mona Lisa" is displayed in the museum's largest gallery alongside works by Venetian masters of the 16th century. The last major renovation of the Louvre took place in the 1980s when Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei designed the famous glass pyramid. It was designed to accommodate 4 million visitors annually, but today the Louvre receives twice that number of tourists.