Mona Lisa circus

For those who don't want to click the article talks about the long lines (including 3 escalator rides) now required to see Mona.

It's VERY apparent that all some of these visitors are doing is seeing Mona (there's one guy who claims to be an art lover who was upset he couldn't camp out in front of Mona! Do you think he noticed any of the OTHER great art he could camp in front of LOL!)

IMHO it's time for one of two things.

1. NO PHOTOS! If told "you can't have a selfie in front of Mona" half of those going will probably disappear. And if you want a photo of the painting buy a postcard, it was taken by a better photographer under better conditions!

2. Set her up someplace like the British did the crown jewels. Install a moving sidewalk and let you ride by!

Mona is overrated. I saw it in 1992 because that is what the law requires if it's your first visit to the Louvre. I have no desire to see it again.

It's one of many great paintings in the Louvre. On my first Louvre visit I planned to skip it, just to avoid the crowds. I arrived before the Louvre opened, pass in hand (and no bags) and ended up first in the line for those with passes. When the place opened they waved me through security and I was literally the first patron in the building (by minutes) so I changed plans and went straight to the Mona Lisa. I was first to arrive, joined after a short while by a Canadian couple who were first in the prepaid ticket line. We took photos of each other with just ourselves and the painting.

On subsequent visits to the Louvre, I visit other parts of the museum. I'm sure I still haven't seen 20 percent of what's there. The collection is huge. The nice thing about the pass (at least until recently) is you can go anytime and take an hour to see one small section.

The current incompetent management at the Louvre has created a disaster with their placement of the Mona Lisa. Hard to believe in that enormous palace they couldn't have figured out how to place it temporarily in a more accessible area. The result has been that now people with Museum Passes are being turned away and tickets are unavailable for those who walk up. This is entirely because of the congestion caused by the re-location of the ML. The rest of the museum is not overcrowded. For people in the last few weeks, it meant perhaps years of planning for a once in a lifetime Paris trip were derailed when they were unable to visit the museum at all during their trip. They have now instituted time slot entries for those with Museum Passes to be reserved in advance but unless careful planning is done, there is the high risk that none will be available when an individual hopes to visit the museum. Too bad they can't give it its own building and let people who come to see the art rather than take a selfie go about their business of viewing the art.

In 1963 at the Metropolitan in New York I saw the Mona Lisa. There was no crowd and many expressed the reaction "That's it?" Ah New Yorkers!!! I have had no desire to pay another visit. As many state, the ML should be enshrined in its own setting far away from the rest of the Louvre so the selfie gatherers can snap away without interfering with the David-Poussin-Ingres-Chardin viewers.

We just saw her last week and I honestly don't understand the hype. We were ushered past her like cattle, so there was zero opportunity to truly appreciate whatever it is that people find so enthralling about her. There were many, many other pieces that I found much more moving, but I suspect the set up they have there has much to do with that.

Thanks(?) for posting that. I guess now I really know what to expect as I'll be making my first ever visit to the Louvre on Monday morning. I guess we'll have to just deal with it and check that one off the list (and then hopefully relax and enjoy all of the other fantastic art afterwards).

We were just there earlier this month. We arrived at the museum at 10:00, on a Saturday, in August. Followed the signs. Through the queue, up the escalators... It only took us 15-20 minutes from when we got there to see it. No problem at all. There are employees there moving you along, keeping people from taking too long and too many pictures. They let in 20ish people, give you a minute or two, then herd you along. There is no appreciating it, no standing an admiring it. But from what I've heard there never was. It seems like a better system then what they had before. There's more control. When we left at 2:30, there was at least an hour wait. Get there early and head straight for it. No problem at all.

I've never understood the hype myself. I had studied art history before ever getting to Europe so I knew what to expect and I did go to see her (of course, it's required) but that was when you could still see her without the horrendous crowds and pre-selfies. If you really want to see what a wonderful painter Da Vinci was go to Krakow and see Lady With an Ermine - so much better than the Mona Lisa in my book.

The Mona Lisa is not overrated. It may be the source of some annoyance to those wanting to see-really see-it, but it is certainly not overrated. When things bug us, we tend to be more critical of that thing. Human nature strikes again.

@carol we just experienced Mona Lisa Circus yesterday. Most spent time taking selfie with their loved ones instead of seeing it directly in a minute that they got.

We both saw the Mona Lisa when traveling on our own itinerary several years ago, and I saw it again five years ago.

I was surprised at the size of the painting, but we both really enjoyed gazing at her - so much better than seeing it just in a book!

We saw Mona Lisa with our RS group in 2015 on an evening visit to the Louvre. It was crowded, but absolutely nothing like this madness. I was able to get up to the rope line and see her fairly close. Yes, I took a photo, but not a selfie. Glad we saw her on our first trip abroad, but I absolutely wouldn't go through three-escalator Disney lines to see it again. We were in the Louvre for a couple of hours with the group and would love to go back and enjoy the rest of the museum.

How bad is the Orsay these days? It was actually my favorite.

It appears a lot of people on this thread have visited the room where the Mona Lisa is located. I'm curious-- is it possible to look at the Rubens located within for any length of time? Does the crowd control situation make it difficult to see any of the other nearby galleries? Seeing these Rubens was very high on my list of paintings to see when I planned my trip for late August. Of course, everything at the Louvre is important to see, but I had already discounted the possibility of seeing the Mona Lisa in any quality way, and I was hopeful to see the Rubens paintings. Thanks.

I'm also interested in the experience of those who have been recently. I was at the Louvre briefly (about one hour) several years ago as part of a cruise excursion. I did get into the Mona Lisa room, but at that time it was very crowded, several people deep in front of the painting and because it's so small, I could only see it from quite a distance. This year when I go to the Louvre I'm not particularly interested in dealing with the crowds for a similar experience. Since reportedly most people make a beeline for her, how crowded are other areas of the museum?

Things may have changed with all the renovation work, but the rest of the museum is not very crowded. It is so vast that I have sometimes found that I have had entire rooms to myself. When I visited the Rubens room years ago, it was not crowded at all. You could wonder around that room at leisure. It sounds like a bit of a shambles at the moment.

From what I remember, the other paintings in the ML room couldn't be enjoyed. You can't get close to the ones behind it. I think the ones on the opposite wall you could get a good view of. Other rooms around the ML weren't bad. Admittedly, we went to see the ML first (I had a 11 and 9 yo, so I was trying to pace the museum going). Didn't do much in the Richelieu wing. Overall crowds weren't too bad. We were there on a Saturday from 10-2:30ish

The Orsay on Sunday was pretty crowded.

One could argue that Mona is overrated but it's also immaterial.

I first saw Mona in Aug of 1989, finally got around to it since the first trip in Paris in 1973. I was absolutely fascinated by the painting, was glad that I finally got to it. Since then I have been back at least once regardless of the crowds, which are now more numerous in the summer than when I saw it then.

There was a guard in 1989 in front of Mona then blocking any attempt by those wanting to take a picture of it. I watched as this guy tried to block your way as he saw you aiming the 35 mm cameras then.