Louvre’s decision to move Mona Lisa is a misguided act of snobbery

In the pursuit of quieter galleries, the Louvre risks losing the vibrant energy that makes it so captivating.

WHAT A WONDERFUL headache for a museum to have. The Louvre in Paris gets so many visitors it is taking drastic measures to cope, which include moving its most famous treasure to a dedicated space where fans can visit without entering the main museum at all. It will no longer suck the oxygen from other art.

Nearly 9 million visitors a year stream through the Louvre and it’s believed 80% of them are looking for Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait of Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo, better known as La Gioconde, better still as the Mona Lisa.

I’m worried the Louvre is trying to solve a problem that is not really a problem. Ask Britain’s museums if high visitor numbers are a bad thing: they still haven’t recovered their pre-pandemic crowds.

The decision, dramatically announced by Emmanuel Macron, to move the Mona Lisa to a special hygienically isolated gallery where les idiots who flock to take selfies in front of it won’t bother more cultured visitors who wish to study art in a hushed atmosphere, is a misguided act of snobbery. It may ruin the Louvre’s ecosystem as a place where high art becomes popular culture.

On my last visit to the Louvre, I made a beeline to see Leonardo’s masterpiece.

Why wouldn’t I? To get to it, after the security controls to enter the court under the glass pyramid, you go through the Denon wing, choosing one of several paths – maybe past the Victory of Samothrace or Gericault’s Raft of the Medusa – until you reach the room where the Mona Lisa is sealed behind plateglass.

It’s rowdy. Barriers hold back the crowd, many of whom do seem to be fixated on getting photos. But who am I, and who is Macron, to assume none of those people feel or see or discover anything from the experience?

Noise and jostling there was, but I was still able to see Leonardo’s painting, a silent mystery at the heart of the hubbub. Her smile, in person, is so much warmer than it looks in reproduction.

I realised, more clearly than ever before, this really is a sweet portrait of an ordinary person who posed for Leonardo in Florence in 1503 – and made a magical impression on him.

It’s true the Mona Lisa makes it hard to pay attention to the paintings by Veronese, Titian and others in the same room. But that’s not because of the crowds. It’s the Mona Lisa that does this by being so compelling.

In my experience, the crowds don’t spoil the Louvre. They give it life. Another measure that is planned – opening up a new entrance – sounds more useful as it can be a slow queue getting into IM Pei’s pyramid.

But once you’re in, the vastness of this museum gives it an exhilarating impression of limitless riches. There are always plenty of visitors in the gallery of French history paintings.

Others traipse past Botticelli frescoes, Caravaggio canvases – not to mention Leonardo da Vinci’s other paintings in the collection.

If you want peace in the Louvre seek out its northern Renaissance galleries or its collection of Chardin still life scenes.

Better still, go downstairs from the Mona Lisa where people walk by Michelangelo’s Dying and Rebellious Slaves with barely a glance. You can look at these masterpieces in peace.

Courtesy of Guardian News & Media Ltd

Also Read: Why Do Most Indians Lack a Sense of Humour?

Disclaimer : PunjabTodayNews.com and other platforms of the Punjab Today group strive to include views and opinions from across the entire spectrum, but by no means do we agree with everything we publish. Our efforts and editorial choices consistently underscore our authors’ right to the freedom of speech. However, it should be clear to all readers that individual authors are responsible for the information, ideas or opinions in their articles, and very often, these do not reflect the views of PunjabTodayNews.com or other platforms of the group. Punjab Today does not assume any responsibility or liability for the views of authors whose work appears here.

Punjab Today believes in serious, engaging, narrative journalism at a time when mainstream media houses seem to have given up on long-form writing and news television has blurred or altogether erased the lines between news and slapstick entertainment. We at Punjab Today believe that readers such as yourself appreciate cerebral journalism, and would like you to hold us against the best international industry standards. Brickbats are welcome even more than bouquets, though an occasional pat on the back is always encouraging. Good journalism can be a lifeline in these uncertain times worldwide. You can support us in myriad ways. To begin with, by spreading word about us and forwarding this reportage. Stay engaged.

— Team PT