The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, the world's most famous portrait, could get a room of its own in the Louvre, the museum's president said on Saturday.
Such a move would give visitors, many of whom visit the Louvre for the iconic painting alone, a better experience, Laurence des Cars told the France Inter broadcaster.
"It's always frustrating when you don't give visitors the best possible reception, and that is the case for the Mona Lisa," she said.
"A better solution seems necessary to me today," she said, adding that the Louvre was in contact with the culture ministry about potential solutions.
The Louvre, the world's most popular museum, welcomed close to nine million visitors in 2023.
Thousands of tourists
Des Cars said 80 percent of them – 20,000 people per day – braved the crowd to catch a glimpse of the Mona Lisa's enigmatic smile, often taking selfies in front of the painting.
Metres of belt-barriers line the room, just like at an airport, to allow everyone in the queue a few seconds to gaze at the painting before moving on.
The Mona Lisa currently hangs in the Louvre's Salle des Etats (State Room), the museum's biggest, in a protective glass case, but Da Vinci's masterwork is not alone there.
It is accompanied by works by 16th-century Venetian masters, and across the room hangs the Louvre's biggest painting, The Wedding at Cana by Paolo Veronese.
As well as being on the bucket list for many tourists, the iconic painting has been the target in recent years of envionmental activists.
As recently as January this year, two women from the Riposte Alimentaire (Food Retaliation) group threw soup at the protective glass casing of the masterpiece.
The collective says it is dedicated to advocating for action on climate change and sustainable agriculture.
In a separate incident, someone threw a custard pie at the painting in May 2022.
Le Louvre is gearing up to attract even more visitors as Paris prepares to welcome the Olympic Games in July and August.
The world's biggest museum announced on Tuesday that it planned to organise yoga and sport sessions in its famed galleries as part of a city-wide cultural programme ahead of the sporting events.
"The Louvre is physically in the centre of Paris. It will be physically at the centre of the Olympic Games," des Cars told reporters.
Details of the special sessions and the museum's new Olympics-themed exhibition are available on its website.
Organisers of the Paris Games have also indicated that the Olympic flame is set to burn in the Tuileries Garden in front of the Louvre museum.
(with AFP)
