'Mona Lisa' Is Moving to a New Home. The Louvre Just Announced the Architects Who Will Design Her Private Suite
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The Louvre has announced a major renovation project to enhance visitor experience and security, including a new exhibition space for the Mona Lisa. The project, led by Selldorf Architects and Studios Architecture Paris, aims to accommodate an additional three million visitors annually. The expansion is expected to be completed by 2031 and will cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
- ▪The Louvre will undergo a $1 billion renovation to address crowd control and security needs.
- ▪Selldorf Architects and Studios Architecture Paris will design a new exhibition space for the Mona Lisa.
- ▪The project aims to increase annual visitor capacity by three million, accommodating a total of twelve million guests per year.
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‘Mona Lisa’ Is Moving to a New Home. The Louvre Just Announced the Architects Who Will Design Her Private Suite Visitors will be able to view Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece without touring the rest of the Louvre, and visitor traffic at the museum will be able to grow by three million people annually Christian Thorsberg | Daily Correspondent May 19, 2026 2:27 p.m. ShareCopy linkEmailSMSFacebookXRedditLinkedInBlueskyPrintAdd as preferred source An aerial view of the Grande Colonnade rendered redesign French Ministry of Culture and Louvre French officials chose an international team of architects to usher the Louvre into a “new Renaissance,” with an overhaul that may add up to $1 billion aimed at addressing crowd control, security and infrastructure needs at the world’s busiest art museum.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Smithsonian Magazine.
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