Latest news with #NewRenaissance
Hypebeast
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hypebeast
Overcrowded Louvre Launches €270 Million Design Competition
Summary After weeks of mounting tensions and a sudden staffstrikethat left thousands queued outside its gates, theMusée du Louvrehas launched an international architectural competition ahead of its much-needed restoration. The Parisian powerhouse opened the competition on June 27 with aims to expand its storied space and ease its visitor congestion through a newly designed entrance and exhibition space for one of its prized centerpieces, the 'Mona Lisa.' Five finalists will be decided by a 21-person jury in October, with the overall winner announced early next year. To prevent massive crowds at the museum's current access points, a new entrance will be planted on the museum's eastern facade, though Unlike I.M. Pei's iconic glass-and-steel pyramid, the museum is seeking proposals that will blend seamlessly with the facade's 17th-century classical colonnades. Breathing room for 'Mona Lisa' is also on the table. Set beneath the Cour Courée courtyard, da Vinci's most famed piece will call a new, 33,000-square-foot, subterraneangalleryits home. The space will offer require a separate timed-entry access from the main galleries, in an effort to thin constant crowds that overwhelm the painting's current room. The initiative follows growing concerns over the Louvre's aging infrastructure and its ability to manage its nearly 9 million annual visitors. According to an internal letter from director Laurence des Cars, leakd byLe Parisien, much of the building suffers from water leaks and unstable climate conditions, putting the collection at risk. In January, French President Emmanuel Macron pledged plans for a five-year renovation plan, which he dubbed a 'New Renaissance' for the institution. With a projected cost of €400 million EUR ($417 million USD) for the overhaul,Le Monde, who first reported the €10 EUR ticket hike for non-European Union visitors, speculates that the funding for the expansion will be supplemented by the uptick.
NDTV
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Paris Museum Housing 'Mona Lisa' Closes As Staff Protest Tourist Overcrowding
The Louvre museum in Paris, renowned for masterpieces like the Mona Lisa, unexpectedly closed on Monday due to a staff strike. Ticket agents, gallery attendants, and security personnel walked out, citing overcrowding and understaffing, which caused long lines and frustrated tourists. Following a four-hour negotiation with management, the Louvre reopened, allowing access to weary visitors. According to a CNN Style report, visitors were left frustrated, holding tickets without any official communication from museum authorities. The strike was reportedly linked to staff concerns over increasing tourist crowds and working conditions. "It's the Mona Lisa moan out here," said Kevin Ward, 62, from Milwaukee, one of thousands of confused visitors corralled into unmoving lines beneath I.M. Pei's glass pyramid. "Thousands of people waiting, no communication, no explanation. I guess even she needs a day off." Monday's strike comes after French President Emmanuel Macron announced earlier this year that the centuries-old Louvre would undergo renovations to include a separate wing for the Mona Lisa to control crowds better, according to United Press International (UPI). The "New Renaissance" project, which will repair and modernise the former royal palace, will take a decade to complete. Ticket prices are slated to go up next year for tourists who do not live in the European Union to help pay for the project. Last year alone, 8.7 million tourists visited the Louvre, with many complaining about insufficient signage, tight spaces, and lack of restrooms. The Louvre was originally designed to accommodate 4 million visitors a year. Louvre President Laurence des Cars, who was appointed in 2021, limited visitors to 30,000 a day after attendance surged in 2018 to more than 10 million. He has warned that parts of the museum are "no longer watertight" and that fluctuating temperatures could damage the priceless artwork.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Yahoo
Louvre museum in Paris closes amid staff protest over crowds of tourists
June 17 (UPI) -- The Louvre, home to the Mona Lisa and other iconic works of art in Paris, closed abruptly Monday as the museum's staff staged an impromptu strike over a surge of tourists who were left standing in long lines. Ticket agents, gallery attendants and security refused to return to work, following a morning union meeting, citing overcrowding and understaffing. After four hours of talks with management, the Louvre reopened to confused and tired visitors. Monday's strike comes after French President Emmanuel Macron announced earlier this year that the centuries-old Louvre would undergo renovations to include a separate wing for the Mona Lisa to control crowds better. The "New Renaissance" project, which will repair and modernize the former royal palace, will take a decade to complete. Ticket prices are slated to go up next year for tourists who do not live in the European Union to help pay for the project. Last year alone, 8.7 million tourists visited the Louvre with many complaining about insufficient signage, tight spaces and lack of restrooms. The Louvre was originally designed to accommodate 4 million visitors a year. Louvre President Laurence des Cars, who was appointed in 2021, limited visitors to 30,000 a day after attendance surged in 2018 to more than 10 million. He has warned that parts of the museum are "no longer watertight" and that fluctuating temperatures could damage the priceless artwork.
UPI
17-06-2025
- UPI
Louvre museum in Paris closes amid staff protest over crowds of tourists
The Louvre, home to the Mona Lisa, closed abruptly Monday as the museum's staff staged an impromptu strike over large crowds of tourists and understaffing. The museum reopened four hours later. File Photo by Maya Vidon-White/UPI | License Photo June 17 (UPI) -- The Louvre, home to the Mona Lisa and other iconic works of art in Paris, closed abruptly Monday as the museum's staff staged an impromptu strike over a surge of tourists who were left standing in long lines. Ticket agents, gallery attendants and security refused to return to work, following a morning union meeting, citing overcrowding and understaffing. After four hours of talks with management, the Louvre reopened to confused and tired visitors. Monday's strike comes after French President Emmanuel Macron announced earlier this year that the centuries-old Louvre would undergo renovations to include a separate wing for the Mona Lisa to control crowds better. The "New Renaissance" project, which will repair and modernize the former royal palace, will take a decade to complete. Ticket prices are slated to go up next year for tourists who do not live in the European Union to help pay for the project. Last year alone, 8.7 million tourists visited the Louvre with many complaining about insufficient signage, tight spaces and lack of restrooms. The Louvre was originally designed to accommodate 4 million visitors a year. Louvre President Laurence des Cars, who was appointed in 2021, limited visitors to 30,000 a day after attendance surged in 2018 to more than 10 million. He has warned that parts of the museum are "no longer watertight" and that fluctuating temperatures could damage the priceless artwork.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Yahoo
How visiting the Louvre became a nightmare
When I visited the Louvre last November, I had the foresight to buy a €22 ticket in advance. Still, a queue zig-zagged across the Cour Napoléon as cold, restless tourists took photos beside its iconic pyramid. Forty-five minutes later – an hour past our booked entry time – we descended on the escalator into the cavernous entry hall. Our visit didn't improve from there. As swarms of people made a beeline for the Salle des États to see the Mona Lisa, smartphones at the ready, my fiancé and I attempted a circular route through the gallery's lower levels. We found the spaces so overcrowded and the signage so poor it rendered the museum virtually unnavigable. Several hours later – I lost track of time, and not in a good way – we queued once more for an overpriced americano from a Paul concession under the pyramid, and collapsed on a bench, our feet aching. None of this is news, not least to the custodians of the museum themselves. In a leaked memo, Laurence des Cars, the Louvre's director, said it has deteriorated to the degree that a visit to the museum is a 'physical ordeal'. Parts of the museum, which is the world's most visited, are in 'very poor condition,' she continued. Some are 'no longer watertight, while others experience significant temperature variations, endangering the preservation of artworks.' Many of its buildings, she says, are reaching 'a worrying level of obsolescence'. The structural issues are one thing; to tourists, more pressing is the overcrowding and sub-par food and facilities. Des Cars, who became head of the institution in 2021, said these fall 'well below international standards'. The timed entry slots are an unwelcome hangover from Covid days. To add insult to injury, this week president Emmanuel Macron has announced that British tourists will pay extra for the privilege, as part of a drive to raise money for much-needed refurbishments from non-EU citizens. As part of a museum-wide renovation expected to cost up to €800 million, the Mona Lisa will finally be afforded a room – and an entrance – of her own. Having left it crumbling for the duration of his seven-year presidency, there is also a sense that Macron has pushed forward with its renovation, named 'New Renaissance,' to burnish his reputation as he prepares to leave office in 2027. But it has problems that cannot easily be solved, even with a multi-million pound cash injection. The Mona Lisa is one reason why the Louvre – both a celebrated cultural institution and a vital political tool – was able to deteriorate to such a degree. The sheer popularity of its most famous painting has strained its infrastructure and markedly worsened the visitor experience. Of the nine million visitors to the Louvre each year, a staggering 70 per cent are there just for a glimpse of the portrait's enigmatic smile. When I did eventually join the throng to see da Vinci's masterpiece in November, we were rushed along by stewards in a queue 25 people deep. Having endured a historic acid attack, a cake, and this month, a thermos of pumpkin soup thrown by climate protestors, the Mona Lisa is guarded more closely than ever, leading to a heavy security presence and a hassled, austere atmosphere. The popularity of the painting is a double-edged sword. It draws visitors in, but in some ways the museum's main problem is its 'freak celebrity,' explains Alastair Sooke, the Telegraph's chief art critic. 'There's no other work that commands these crowds,' he says. 'An extravagantly high proportion of the people who visit understandably want to see this painting.' This causes obvious practical problems for visitors as the building itself cannot cope. 'You are forced to go through long queues at the entrance, very heavy security and then traipse along this Where's Wally? trail that eventually takes you to the room, [which] was totally chaotic,' he adds. The other masterpieces in the Louvre's largest room are almost completely ignored, Sooke says. 'I went and stood by these pictures and nobody stopped.' Over the past two decades, the number of yearly visitors to the Louvre has risen significantly, yet its infrastructure and facilities for visitors have not risen to the challenge – it has not had a significant revamp since the construction of I. M. Pei's glass pyramid in 1989. In 2005, it had 7.3 million visitors; by 2010 that had risen to 8.5m, then 8.6m in 2015 and 8.9m by 2023. The ticket price has risen in tandem: from €7.50 in 2003, to €10 in 2011, €15 in 2015. It is now a hefty €22. Perhaps some of these problems could be solved by learning by example from the museum's great European neighbours. Emily Gordenker, director of Amsterdam's Van Gogh museum, which welcomed 1.7 million visitors last year (a fraction of the Louvre), said it had made the 'difficult decision' to cap visitor numbers per day. 'It's a relatively small building and we limit it to 5,000 visitors per day, which is an awful lot for our building,' she said on the Today programme. 'We've done that to improve the experience people have, and it has made a marked difference.' De Car imposed a 30,000-per-day visitor cap on the Louvre in 2022, but it seems to have done little to address chronic overcrowding. 'In a way, it's a nice problem to have – so much interest, so many visitors… but it brings with it another kind of a burden,' Gordenker said. She added that 'nobody is served by standing 30 feet away from the painting itself… with lots of people in front of them.' It should not, however, look to Britain for inspiration. 'The British Museum is approaching a similar crisis,' says Sooke. 'It's our most visited, our prestige museum, and currently the visitor experience is dire.' It has several parallels with the Louvre – overbearing private security, irritating timeslots, tired and antiquated galleries. Nick Trend, the Telegraph's consumer and culture editor, says that although other museums manage queues better – the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid being one example – the Louvre does have 'particular problems that others don't.' 'It has absolutely enormous collections and one thing that everyone wants to see, miles and miles of corridors and acres of rooms in bizarre, interlocked buildings. These things would be a problem anywhere,' he says. 'I think the Louvre will always have a problem.' Trend suggests visiting in winter or, better yet, going somewhere else. 'The Prado [in Madrid] has free entry at the end of the day and very long opening hours, which helps,' he says. 'If you want to see great art, particularly in the high season, go there, or to Vienna.' Having braved the crowds and trekked the corridors, I'm inclined to agree. I hadn't been to the Louvre for ten years before I visited last autumn. I'll leave it another ten – at least – before I go back.
