Patrons at the world's most visited museum will be able to separately access its most famous work of art following a six-year renovation announced by French President Emmanuelle Macron.
In a speech in front of the Mona Lisa, Mr Macron said the renovations would help ease congestion inside the Louvre museum, located on the banks of the Seine.
The work, costing between 700 and 830 million euros ($1.4 billion), will include a separate space with a separate entrance for Leonardo Da Vinci's painting as well as further refurbishments that will happen over the next few years while the museum remains open.
There is currently only one entrance to the Louvre.
The funds for the "colossal" changes will come from the museum's coffers as well as increased ticket prices for people coming from outside the European Union.
Ticket prices already rose by 30 per cent last year before the Paris Olympic Games.
Mr Macron said he hoped that the works could help increase the annual number of visitors to the museum to 12 million a year.
Louvre's popularity a 'physical strain' on the building
Earlier this month, the head of the Louvre warned the government about leaks, overcrowding and sub-standard catering in a note that raised alarm about the building.
Laurence des Cars, the first woman head of the French landmark, raised concerns about the "proliferation of damage in museum spaces, some of which are in very poor condition".
She said some areas were "no longer watertight, while others experience significant temperature variations, endangering the preservation of artworks".
Despite the French government's budget problems and the imminent closure of the Pompidou museum for renovations, Ms des Cars said the Louvre required an overhaul that would likely be costly and technically complicated.
About 8.7 million people visited its famed galleries last year — twice the number it was designed for — and Ms des Cars expressed concern about the quality of patrons' experience.
The Louvre's popularity was causing a "physical strain" on the historic building, while "food options and restroom facilities are insufficient in volume, falling well below international standards", she wrote.
Even the museum's most modern addition — a glass pyramid that was designed by Chinese-American architect IM Pei and inaugurated in 1989 — came in for severe criticism because of its "major shortcomings".
Christian Galani, a national board member of the hard-left CGT Culture trade union, told AFP there was "hardly a day goes by without us noticing the deterioration of the building".
"Because of staffing problems, rooms are often closed and working conditions are getting worse, with temperatures of around 10-12 degrees Celsius in winter and more than 30C in summer," he said.
In November 2023, an exhibition of drawings by 18th-century French artist Claude Gillot had to be closed and moved due to a leak in the room where his works were being displayed.
Since taking charge at the institution in 2021, Ms des Cars has spoken publicly about the museum reaching "saturation point".
Her first major measures included imposing a cap of 30,000 visitors per day and extending the museum's opening hours.
