Mona Lisa may be moved to its own room at the Louvre

The ‘Mona Lisa’ at the Louvre, known as ‘the most disappointing work of art in the world’ due to the crowds of more than 20,000 people a day, will be moved to a separate room.

According to French media outlets such as West France on Monday (local time), Louvre Museum Director Laurence des Cars announced that the Louvre is “considering creating an independent space to display the Mona Lisa.”

“It’s always frustrating when you don’t give visitors the best possible reception, and that is the case for the Mona Lisa. A better solution seems necessary to me today,” she said, adding that the Louvre was in contact with the culture ministry regarding potential solutions. The museum is broadly considering ways to improve overall exhibition conditions, including providing a private room for the Mona Lisa.

Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece, Mona Lisa, is so popular that about 80% of visitors to the Louvre come to see the painting. Despite its fame, however, a survey conducted by a local online coupon site last month showed that Mona Lisa ranked first among the most disappointing works of art in the world, as it had too many viewers that prevented people from viewing it closer and taking time to observe it. “We need to devise a plan as more visitors will arrive when the Paris Olympics open on July 26,” said the museum.


Eun-A Cho achim@donga.com