Laurence des Cars, the first woman to head the Louvre Museum in Paris, has expressed serious concerns over the deterioration of infrastructure, overcrowding, and inadequate visitor amenities in the museum. In a confidential note to Culture Minister Rachida Dati, published in Le Parisien, des Cars raised concerns about damage to museum spaces, water leaks, and unstable temperature control that may compromise the preservation of priceless artworks.
Overcrowding and Visitor Experience
The Louvre Museum has 8.7 million visitors in 2024, which puts an overwhelming strain on its historic structure. The museum was designed to accommodate far fewer guests and is now dealing with overcrowding, insufficient rest areas, and subpar catering and restroom facilities that fall below international standards.
Des Cars emphasized the urgent need to reassess visitor experience, particularly around the Mona Lisa, the museum’s star attraction. She proposed creating a dedicated room for Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, acknowledging long-standing complaints about overcrowded queues.
Key Issues Raised
Structural Deterioration
Several areas of the museum are no longer watertight.
Fluctuating temperatures pose a risk to the preservation of artworks.
The 1989 glass pyramid extension is criticized to heat up excessively on hot days and to produce a noisy setting.
Crowding Solutions
Implement a visitor limit at 30,000 per day.
Construct a second entrance to reduce congestion at the museum’s glass pyramid.
Increase operational hours to reduce crowd size.
Lousy Facilities
Food and restrooms are too few for this large number of visitors.
Museum signs need to be overhauled; a complete re-design is required.
Wider Perspective: Renovation in Paris Museums
Des Cars said the financial strain of renovating during France’s tight budget. The Pompidou Museum is to close for a €262 million ($272 million) renovation from September 2025, highlighting the greater strain on Paris’s cultural institutions.
Global Tourism Rebound
Paris, a city in European countries, have seen a spike in tourism levels after COVID due to 70% of visiting Louvre users being international.
The museum is sitting at a point of “saturation,” and desperate calls are emanating for significant structural and organizational changes.
Laurence des Cars remains calling for drastic improvements to the infrastructure of the Louvre, striking a delicate balance in its decision-making between preserving cultural heritage and making visitor experiences better. A second entrance, improved facilities, and possibly rearranging the Mona Lisa’s display are all considered essential advances.
The Louvre is still one of the mainstays of French cultural heritage, but only time will tell if it will be able to maintain its reputation as the world’s most-visited museum.