Workers on the Louvre in Paris staged one other walkout this week, intensifying opposition to a significant redevelopment plan that features a devoted gallery for Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and a brand new entrance supposed to ease strain on the museum’s essential entry factors.
In accordance with the Artwork Newspaper, the museum closed Monday morning earlier than partially reopening at midday (native time), with guests granted entry to a restricted set of high-profile works together with the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and the Winged Victory of Samothrace, whereas different galleries remained closed. The strike was backed by three unions, which stated 350 employees members, together with curators, voted unanimously for the motion.
The walkout comes amid rising controversy over the Louvre–Nouvelle Renaissance overhaul, launched by President Emmanuel Macron in January 2025, which Le Monde reviews consists of plans to relocate the Mona Lisa into its personal purpose-built gallery throughout the Sully wing, linked to a devoted store and a brand new entrance on the museum’s japanese facade on the foot of the Perrault colonnade. Le Monde provides that 5 worldwide groups have been shortlisted for the structure competitors, with none led by a French agency.
On the Louvre, unions are calling for director Laurence des Vehicles to drop what they described as an “unrealistic” $778 million undertaking, urging the museum to prioritize long-delayed technical works and maintenance as an alternative.
The Artwork Newspaper reviews that des Vehicles’s 2026 price range units apart $116 million for preliminary research tied to the overhaul and $17.5 million for technical upkeep, together with solely $2.1 million for security of the museum’s work.
The dispute follows a three-day walkout earlier than Christmas and comes after an October crown jewels heist, which has heightened scrutiny of museum safety and constructing situations. (Late final month, the Louvre put in bars over the window used to steal the stolen jewels, lots of which have but to be recovered.) A parliamentary investigation into museum security is anticipated to start later this week, including to strain on Louvre management.
