At the Louvre, the Mona Lisa is on the move!

The world's most famous painting, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, is moving to a new exhibition room at the Louvre.

Photo credit: Amandine Goetz

The mythical portrait of Mona Lisa, also known as the Mona Lisa, was painted in the 16th century by the eminent polymath Leonardo da Vinci. From the moment of its creation, this work of art was taken as a reference by many artists of the ‘Romantic’ era. But above all, it is a work that intrigues by its many mysteries, which remain unanswered to this day.

 

Photo credit: Amandine Goetz

During his lifetime, Leonardo da Vinci took the Mona Lisa with him wherever he went. A painting of rare importance, the trace of which was lost after the death of its creator.

Exhibited for several decades in the Musée du Louvre, historian Bertrand Jestaz's research suggests that the work was originally sold in 1518 to François 1er. The Mona Lisa would therefore have been exhibited for several centuries in private places, such as the Château de Fontainebleau, in the gallery of King Louis XIV, at the Château de Versailles, in the Tuileries Palace, in the flats of Joséphine Bonapart... Before finally being presented to the general public at the Louvre.

 

Photo credit: Amandine Goetz

Every year, the Louvre Museum welcomes almost 9 million visitors. Just as many people, enchanted by Leonardo da Vinci's famous masterpiece, flock to the 700m2 Salle des Etats, home to the Mona Lisa. It's an influx that's becoming increasingly difficult for the museum to manage, but also a complicated encounter for its visitors.

 

Photo credit: Amandine Goetz

Victim of its own success, the Mona Lisa is to be moved to a new dedicated room, this time measuring 2,000m2. The entire space will be created between now and 2031, thanks to work under the Cour Carrée. The project will be entered in the next international architecture competition, and the winner will be announced by early 2026.

 

Have you ever seen the Mona Lisa?

 

Front page image: Amandine Goetz
Editorial staff: Amandine Goetz