Over the last 500 or so years, the Mona Lisa has been stolen, copied and vandalised (by no less than acid, soup, and cake), but despite a tumultuous history, the world’s most recognised painting is still standing proud.
It’s currently on display in Salle des Etats at the Louvre in Paris, the same museum where the painting has lived since 1804, and it’s thought to be worth around $834 million today. But anyone who’s ever paid a visit to look Mona in the eye knows it’s not easy – there are always huge crowds and space is limited. This is the most visited artwork in the world, after all, with 10 million people heading to the Louvre to see the painting each year.
But it looks like that could all change, as there are plans to move Da Vinci’s famous portrait to a brand-new home.
‘Visitors are not being properly received in the current room so we feel we’re not doing our job properly,’ said Laurence des Cars, the Louvre’s director, according to ARTnews.com, ‘Moving Mona Lisa to a separate room could end the public’s disappointment.’
According to Vincent Delieuvin, chief curator of sixteenth-century art, Da Vinci intended the viewer to establish a ‘face-to-face’ relationship with the painting. At the moment, you’re more likely to be face-to-face with a selfie stick.
But don’t worry, she won’t be moving far. The painting will still be at the Louvre, but might soon have its own dedicated room in the basement. ‘It’s a large room, and the Mona Lisa is at the back, behind its security glass, so at first glance it looks like a postage stamp,’ Delieuvin told La Figaro.
‘We’ve been thinking about [moving the Mona Lisa] for a long time, but this time everyone is in agreement,’ he continued.
This new room would be part of a Grand Louvre renovation, with a brand-new entrance to the museum, but we don’t know when these works will start. But if you’re headed to Paris to peruse the galleries in the future, it sounds like catching a glimpse of the Mona Lisa will be much, much easier.
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