French President Emanuel Macron will visit the Louvre next week after the museum’s director warned in a leaked memo that a major renovation was needed to preserve the famous building and its art collection. President Macron’s visit is planned for Tuesday, when the Louvre is closed to the public, the presidency announced in a statement.
In a memo leaked to French media earlier this week, Laurence des Cars, the first woman to lead the institution, alerted French culture minister Rachida Dati of a “proliferation of damage in museum spaces, some of which are in very poor condition.” Des Cars added that some areas of the museum “are no longer watertight, while others experience significant temperature variations, endangering the preservation of artworks.”
A significant renovation of the museum was needed, she said, acknowledging that the five-year closure of the Centre Pompidou for its own overhaul, as well as the French government’s budget crisis, could be obstacles. The Louvre is state-owned and relies, in part, on the government to cover operating costs, including maintenance.
The most popular museum in the world, the Louvre reported that 8.7 million people visited its galleries in 2024. However, those crowds are causing “physical strain” on the 232-year-old building, des Cars warned, while visitors increasingly lack spaces “to take a break”.
“The food options and restroom facilities are insufficient in volume, falling well below international standards. The signage needs a complete redesign,” the memo reads. Even the museum’s most modern feature—the glass pyramid designed by Chinese American architect I. M. Pei and opened in 1989—was scrutinized for “major shortcomings”. According to Des Cars, the pyramid traps heat like a greenhouse, becoming “inhospitable”, and given its location, is sometimes noisy.
The memo also stressed the need to “reassess” the display of the Mona Lisa, as the famous painting alone attracts some 80 percent of ticket holders to the museum. According to the Louvre’s own findings, that means 20,000-30,000 people enter the Salle des États every day, far beyond what the gallery was designed to accommodate.
