The Louvre is thinking of moving the Mona Lisa to minimize disappointment.
Sorry guys it's not the room she's in, I guarantee you that almost every viewer thinks or says aloud It's so small. So put it wherever you please, it doesn't change the painting. And it might help the traffic flow. And thinking as a capitalist, if you put it off by itself you could charge an extra fee ...
I clicked the back button from the article I eventually ended up at after reading about the possible relocation, which was "Run to the Louvre".....now THAT sounds fun! a run through the museum and with no one else there! (though I don't know how they will keep people from not wandering off though? haha)
I haven't seen it in over 15 years, but anything might be better than the "let's all crowd around on top of each other and barely see it" strategy
I've only spent 2 half days in Paris so far and even though art isn't my thing, I know I'll go and see the Louvre and Lisa at some point, even though I'm sure I'll be as underwhelmed as most. I probably won't even buy a Mona Lisa snow globe. But you never know, maybe I'll be entranced. I had no interest in the Vatican 10 years ago when I went and I was blown away; not by the art but the history of art which got me interested in the history of religion which opened up whole new avenues for trips through Europe.
I do remember seeing a PBS show on the Mona Lisa a few years ago and how it has been scanned an x-rayed and even images of what it would look like if they cleaned 400 years off crap off the surface. I wonder if they'd ever dare to take it out of circulation and attempt to clean it up. If they do move her, I hope they create a whole exhibition around the painting, showing it's history, why it became famous and what it would look like if it was touched up. Maybe then it wouldn't be so underwhelming. Maybe I'll even be interested enough to buy the snow globe.
Allan, have you been to Musée d'Orsay? I highly recommend it.
Allan, that would be pretty neat!
I have been to Paris 2x, been to the Louvre 2x, never had time to go to the Orsay even though my favorite painter is Degas, so we are making sure to do it this summer! I am squeezing in a visit to the Louvre to see one of my fav paintings for a few min, Napoleon's Coronation, but then running out of there :)
What, I thought you were referring to me :). Seriously I do hope it’s gets moved so people can appreciate the other art in the room. I’d vote to give Mona her own room and semicircular, tiered viewing rows in and out of the room.
It’s not for right away, money needs to be found. But there will be a new building entrance and some of the major attractions in a space below entry level just for them.
Re-hang the Mona, put in people movers and keep those doggies rollin.
Allan I like your idea about a whole Mona exhibition. I had no idea about the theft until I was researching my first trip to Paris and trying to figure out how to tackle the Louvre.
Personally, I have no need or overriding desire to see the Mona Lisa again. I saw it on my first visit in 1996 because, like many, I thought it was a "must see." As it was, I was several feet away, and looking through a thick, detail-obscuring, bullet-proof glass. No thanks. Don't get me wrong, the Mona Lisa is a wonderful masterpiece. But there are just so many more masterpieces at The Louvre and elsewhere. I'd much rather avoid the crush of crowds and visit other wonderful pieces of art where I can sit, stand, get close, and appreciate them in much more peace. I can (and did) visit the Dutch masters in the Louvre on my last visit without having a mad-house experience and without wading through throngs of people who just want their selfie in front of one piece of art. If/when I go back to the Louvre, I will do similarly. Sadly, I fear she is a victim of her own popularity.
We returned to the Louvre for a second time after first seeing the Mona Lisa in 2017. At that visit, I was underwhelmed. This time, because Dad now uses a wheelchair, a guard moved us to a section in front of the barrier behind which everyone was standing. What a spectacular painting. Now I know why it is so praised.
I realized what ruined it for me the first time is that people are not looking at the painting. They are taking pictures, selfish, posing and this time all that activity was behind us. Think a separate room with tiered viewing and slow moving people movers would enhance the experience. No cameras.
Allan, I love the idea of an exhibition around the Mona Lisa. It would be interesting to learn more about it and why/how it became so famous.
No cameras.
I will admit some more decorum should be planned into an exhibit of it but I don't think it's fair to ban photography. I'll go see it, but not to appreciate the painting, but for the pop culture that's followed it since it's theft. I can predict now that my favourite photo will be from the back of the room with the crowds in front of me.
I remember there was a much larger ad image of the Mona Lisa (maybe 36"x48") somewhere in that underground mall next to the museum, and I had my friend take a picture of me next to it. Zero dollars! That was in 2011, now I ventured back down there in April 2024 and couldn't remember where it was, if it was even still there as it was an ad poster at that time.
I can predict now that my favourite photo will be from the back of the room with the crowds in front of me.
Thank you for bringing a memory back! I took this shot in 2020 (just before Covid.) About half of the people had their back to the painting, trying to get the perfect selfie. And, yes, it was one of my favorites :-)
The article says that 80% of visitors are there primarily to see Mona. If it’s about satisfying a certain element of visitors, here are some other suggestions;
Make a bigger copy, no bullet-proof glass needed, set it up in a special room, and put a selfie platform in front of it. Hey, it’s still in the Louvre, so it would still count, right? The Lascaux caves have done this for a long time now, so it’s a proven idea. There could even be an express entry and exit for the room, so that interested visitors could get in and out of the Louvre quickly, and on to their next destination, without disappointment.
Create one of those “immersive experiences” that seem to be cropping up. That would be interactive, huh?
Have the Louvre take a photo of the customer, then superimpose it on a background of Mona, or whatever. Taken by a professional, without any need to wait for a perfect shot, and with limitless options for the wallpaper in back, it could be profitable for the museum, and everything many visitors really wanted.
"Make a bigger copy, no bullet-proof glass needed, set it up in a special room, and put a selfie platform in front of it. Hey, it’s still in the Louvre, so it would still count, right? The Lascaux caves have done this for a long time now, so it’s a proven idea. There could even be an express entry and exit for the room, so that interested visitors could get in and out of the Louvre quickly, and on to their next destination, without disappointment." This! 100%
And I think I pioneered it back in 2011 when I found that large ad poster :) I did the same thing at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam!
I have been saying for years that this painting needs to be treated like the Crown Jewels . Take it someplace , put a moving sidewalk in. , charge €20 and let the masses get their picture of Mona
How much nicer the museum would be if the people who only want to see Mona , never stepped foot in the Louvre
