Mona Lisa to be moved as part of major Louvre overhaul
The Mona Lisa will be moved to a new exhibition space at the Louvre in Paris as part of a plan to renovate the world's most frequented museum.
Emmanuel Macron stood in front of the masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci as he made the announcement to an audience of dignitaries, with the change to be introduced by 2031 and visitors charged separately to see the painting.
The French president was outlining his New Renaissance project, which will also involve an international competition to design a second entrance to relieve the growing pressure of visitor numbers beneath the famous glass Pyramid.
Tariff changes will also be introduced from next January so that non-EU residents pay more to visit.
Macron was giving his response to warnings from the Louvre's director Laurence des Cars that the museum was suffering from grave problems of overcrowding and failing infrastructure.
In a letter to the government made public earlier this month, Ms des Cars said the pyramid - which since 1989 has housed the unique access point to the galleries - was "structurally unable to cope" with visitor numbers that now reach more than nine million a year.
She also said that "in the view of everyone, the presentation of the Mona Lisa... is something that needs to be looked at".
About three-quarters of the museum's 30,000 daily visitors go to see Leonardo da Vinci's painting, but the experience has become an endurance test, with a constant crowd being funnelled through the Salle des Etats and getting on average 50 seconds to observe the picture and take photos.
"The public... has no way of comprehending the artist's work, which raises questions over our whole mission of public service," Ms des Cars said in her letter.
Under Macron's project, the eastern facade of the museum - which consists today of a classical colonnade fronted by an artificial moat and a little-used esplanade - will be redesigned.
A new entrance-way will give immediate access to new underground exhibition spaces beneath the Cour Carré, which will in turn connect with the area beneath the pyramid.
Macron said the new front - the biggest change to the museum since President François Mitterrand's Grand Louvre project 40 years ago - would tie in with city plans to create a tree-filled "green" zone on the esplanade.
It would, he said, help integrate the museum into the city and "give it back to the Parisians".
He added that removing the Mona Lisa from its current position would allow the museum to present it properly, and make it easier to view other masterpieces, which are "too often overlooked", on display in the Salle des Etats.
Major renovation work will also be undertaken in the coming years to modernise infrastructure, and provide new toilet, restaurant and rest facilities.
The overall cost is put at several hundred million euros.
Macron said the project would cost the taxpayer nothing, as it would be funded through ticket sales, donations, and the museum's sponsorship deal with the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
His powers significantly curtailed since losing control of the French parliament six months ago, the president has been in search of a new cause with which to assure his legacy.
His much-praised leadership in the post-fire renovation of Notre-Dame cathedral appears to have whetted his appetite for a similar grand projet at the Louvre.
Notre-Dame: World leaders join Macron for cathedral reopening
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business of Fashion
2 hours ago
- Business of Fashion
What's Driving the Filipina Influencer Takeover
A Louis Vuitton runway seat is a notoriously tough 'get' for the Paris fashion flock. The benches are narrow, the celebrities are Oscar-level and the demand to see the latest painted pochettes in person means that even some prominent editors and social media stars receive a respectful but swift 'non' from the French mogul brand. Heart Evangelista's invite, however, is never lost in the mail. The Manila-based actress, singer and model strolled into the Louis Vuitton show in Paris in March with the same black boots and monogrammed bag seen on Zendaya and Emma Stone. She also made appearances at Chloé, Dior, Fendi, Hermès, Versace and nearly a dozen more front rows. When I caught up with Evangelista between shows in Milan a few months back, she said it was 'a lot of fun and also a big privilege' to be a Filipina attending global fashion moments. 'It's so important to me that Filipina style is represented, because there's so much joy in it,' said 40-year-old Evangelista, who boasts over 16 million Instagram followers, and whose TikTok videos have been viewed over half a billion times. 'We have a real flair,' she continued, 'for making beauty into an expression of optimism.' Evangelista isn't the region's only star. There is Bini, a pop group with eight shimmying girls who have helped popularise holographic eyeshadow and blurry blush among their fans. There is Belle Rodolfo, a former Manila magazine editor who now works with brands like YSL Beauté and Sephora. And there is Kelsey Merritt, the first Fillipina to walk in a Victoria's Secret show who remains a Ralph Lauren muse. Merritt recently became paparazzi bait thanks to her new boyfriend, the actor Chace Crawford; since December, there has been a 500 percent increase in Pinterest content chronicling her style. 'We're a pretty small group of islands,' said Nicolette Santos, a Fillipina-American culture strategist for brands like Adidas, Colourpop and Hourglass Cosmetics who currently lives in Los Angeles. But the uniqueness of Filipino identity represents a broad range of connection points, a fact that may explain why influencers from the archipelago are becoming go-to creators for the beauty and fashion industries, and why their resonance goes far beyond the South Asian country with a population of 115 million. 'We're Asian. We're also Latino. We understand aspects of both cultures,' Santos continued. 'We understand colonialism and colourism. We're a Catholic culture but we have a huge and active queer community.' Because Filipino identity overlaps and intersects with so many other cultural folds, said Santos, the relatability is always there. A Culture of Beauty According to the 2023 census, in the US, about 4.6 million people identify as Filipino-Americans — the country's third largest Asian diaspora, including movie star Hailee Steinfeld and real estate billionaire Manny Villar. For many within that community, beauty is a family practice. 'We're a matriarchal culture, and there's always moms and aunts and grandmothers around,' said Melissa Magsaysay, a Filipina-American journalist who founded her clothing brand Duster last year after searching for a traditional Filipino house-dress in the style of mother and grandmother. (Think Hill House Home's 'nap dress', but with tailoring and visible pockets.) 'When you're hanging out with your family, someone is always fussing over your hair, your makeup, your outfit. Beauty awareness starts really early. It's part of playtime.' Santos explained that pageant culture is a staple of Filipino television stations. Poverty is rife, which can only deepen the commitment to glamour, she said. 'Being 'presentable' in our culture isn't seen as shallow; it's seen as community pride. Makeup is part of our cultural identity in a very deep way,' said Santos. Content creator Kristina Rodulfo is a first-generation Filipino-American who grew up in Queens, New York. A former beauty director at and Women's Health, Rodulfo is now a full-time influencer who regularly works with Sephora and has been an online face for Tatcha and Cover Girl. The 32-year-old confirmed her online engagement 'always goes up' when she connects current beauty trends or ingredients with her heritage, and created a newsletter — Pearl — devoted to Philippines beauty brands and founders in 2022. Rodulfo has observed a growing number of Filipino-American campaign stars like Olivia Rodrigo for Lancôme and H.E.R. for Dove. She also cites the nascent popularity of foods like Ube, a popular Filipino dessert and recent Tower 28 and Nyx Cosmetics lip gloss flavour. Still, Rodulfo said the opportunity for Filipino beauty brands is largely under-realised. 'There's a huge opportunity to fill this white space, culturally,' she said. 'I keep being like, 'Where is our [cool cult brand] Ceremonia? Where is our K-beauty?'' The Power of Filipino Faces In May, Condé Nast launched Allure Philippines with a cover featuring Evangelista alongside influencer Bretman Rock. The same month, Rock became a rare male spokesperson for Sol de Janeiro. Santos says that's not a coincidence. 'Drag culture is very much part of Filipino culture. Drag shows are always on TV. Even though parts of the Philippines are still very conservative, there is a deep and longtime love of queer culture in our community. Men are encouraged to be glamorous, too.' Santos said that Rock is a star in his home country, on par with Paris Hilton in America. Queer beauty icons like makeup artist Patrick Starrr and Perfect editor-in-chief Bryanboy also claim Filipino roots. Male-focused brands often flounder, even with a famous face. Because many male Filipino influencers have glamour already built into their identity, Rodulfo says they're more likely to read as genuine to possible shoppers. Evangelista has another theory about why the Philippines' beauty influencers are gaining popularity with American fans. 'It's an island climate! There's always rain and sun happening very close together. We know how to make our makeup last a very long time, no matter the weather.' As global warming turns New York summers into sub-tropical sloshes, and rainfall becomes more common — and more extreme — in formerly temperate locals like Southern California, sweat-proof essentials like powder-to-cream foundation, liquid eyeliner and hardcore setting spray are becoming more in-demand. 'Our glamour really lasts,' said Evangelista. Rodulfo agreed in a more literal sense, having just returned from a trip to Manila with her suitcase full of products from Filipino brands like Happy Skin and Sunnies Face. While she fears she overspent, Rodulfo believes the sweat-proof formulas were worth the splurge. 'When they're made by Filipino founders, I know I only have to apply them once.' Sign up to The Business of Beauty newsletter, your complimentary, must-read source for the day's most important beauty and wellness news and analysis. Disclosure: LVMH is part of a group of investors who, together, hold a minority interest in The Business of Fashion. All investors have signed shareholders' documentation guaranteeing BoF's complete editorial independence.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Xbox Games Showcase 2025: Plague Tale Spin-Off Title, Resonance, Releasing in 2026
Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy was officially announced at the Xbox Games Showcase 2025, after accidentally leaking on the internet just the day before. This new game coming from the French developers Asobo Studio boasts an original story, separate from mainline entries A Plague Tale: Innocence (2019) and A Plague Tale: Requiem (2022) and features Sophia, a pirate captain who encounters series protagonists Amicia and Hugo de Rune as they seek voyage to the island of La Cuna. The story of Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy takes place fifteen years before the events of A Plague Tale: Requiem, as a younger Sophia pursues her destiny of becoming the firm plunderer Amicia and Hugo know her to be. The trailer sees Sophia raiding tombs, traversing what very much seems to be Venice on a gondola and fighting off in a Spartan-like arena before uncovering the carcass, laden in strands of golden lights, of what seems to be the Minotaur. According to Studio Asobo, Resonance is looking to blend 'combat, myth and fate' as Sophia navigates between the 14th century and the time of the Ancient Greeks. In her quest, she must overcome mazes, traps and puzzles and escape a shadowy presence intent on deterring her from the mysterious island. Surprisingly, the hordes of rats which literally infested the world of the first two Plague Tale games, are nowhere to be found as of yet. CGM's reviews of both A Plague Tale: Innocence and A Plague Tale: Requiem have been glowing, with my colleague Zubi Khan describing the first entry as a 'engaging and dark story' and rewarding it with a 8.5 score and opining that the sequel feels 'imperative to fans of the original' and hailing it with a review score of 8/10. Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy will release in 2026 on Xbox Series X/S, Game Pass, PS5 and Steam. Be sure to check out all of the other announcements from the Xbox Games Showcase
Chicago Tribune
3 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
‘Patience' review: A detective show that takes autism seriously
A police detective in Yorkshire teams up with an autistic woman working in the records department in the British series 'Patience' on PBS. Patience Evans is content to be squirreled away, working alone amid all those file folders, but when Detective Inspector Bea Metcalf requests some information, Patience slips in another file that, at first glance, seems unrelated. But there are shared patterns between the two cases. Detective Bea (as Patience calls her) is intrigued and compels the young woman to leave the comfort of her solitary workspace to come out into the field and help her solve crimes. This new experience is at turns thrilling, distressing and overwhelming for Patience, depending on the moment. When she pushes through the discomfort, it's because she has a genuine curiosity and is a puzzle-solver by nature. And she . She's emotionally invested. Actor Ella Maisy Purvis is neurodivergent herself and I like that the show (adapted from the French-Belgian series 'Astrid et Raphaëlle') neither infantilizes the character nor treats her as a brilliant but robotic savant who cracks a case by simply scanning a room. She doesn't solve the crimes so much as identify important clues, patterns and other details overlooked by everyone else that help Detective Bea (Laura Fraser) piece together the bigger picture. Their pairing is awkward and tentative and involves a learning curve for both. Bea can be dismissive and sometimes terse, though she gradually becomes more thoughtful in her approach. For Patience, a sharp word or any deviation from her routine can be devastating and discombobulating. Sometimes she's willing to stray from her usual schedule, but she needs a minute to come around to the idea and it's on Bae to slow down, take a beat, and let Patience decide either way. 'Fancy a trip to the mortuary?' Bea asks one day when a new case is dropped in her lap. Patience pauses, wrapping her head around this unexpected change in plans, but then a small smile reaches her lips. 'Yes,' she says firmly. Bea and Patience carry the show, while the rest of the ensemble is just sort of there, not really adding much, aside from Bea's obnoxious and bigoted subordinate (played by Nathan Welsh) who is dismissive and sneering about Patience, both to her face and behind her back. I get the idea behind the character; sometimes you need a foil. But the guy has no redeeming qualities (until he suddenly comes around at the end) and I'm not sure what we're meant to think when Bea, as his boss, just smiles wanly instead of putting him in his place. The cases themselves are interesting enough and sometimes pivot around an amusing premise. When a best-selling crime novelist is found dead in his home, the police note that his door had been bolted from the inside and there are no other obvious signs of a break-in and Patience excitedly points out that it's a classic locked-room mystery! 'I just worry whether she can adapt,' a colleague tells Bea patronizingly, and she counters: Don't we have to ask ourselves the same thing? It's a process of figuring out one another's needs and processes and negotiating a way to work together that is respectful of Patience, but also effective at unraveling what happened. Bea and Patience both wear their nails cut short, with perpetually chipped nail polish, and it's a small detail but the kind of visual cue that subtly suggests a common bond, despite their differing temperaments. Less effective are the numerous flashbacks to Patience's childhood. I wish detective shows would abandon this trope forever, it's a time-filler that adds nothing. It wouldn't be accurate to say this is a new spin on the genre, since so many crime solvers — from Sherlock Holmes to Adrian Monk to Professor T — bear traits that could place them on the autism spectrum. But it is a series that aims to capture a less cliched, more multi-dimensional portrayal of autism that also includes a flirtation with a co-worker. An actual romantic subplot! 'I don't think we've ever had a TV show or film that's authentic and actually shows what it's like day to day in a workplace being neurodivergent,' Purvis has said in interviews, making an argument for more autistic actors and writers to be involved in these kinds of stories: 'The kind of perspective that comes from lived experiences can't be learnt, and so when you're casting for roles which have neurodiversity as part of their character it's really important that those voices are being heard and are actively in the room.' 'Patience' — 3 stars (out of 4) Where to watch: 7 p.m Sundays on PBS
