PARIS (AP) – 518-year-old Mona Lisa has seen many things in her life on a wall, but rarely this: almost four months without Louvre visitors.
As she gazes out through bulletproof glass into the silent Salle des Etats, in what was once the world’s most visited museum, her celebrated smile could be almost relief. A little further on, the white marble Venus de Milo has been released from her belt of photo-snapping visitors for once.
It is uncertain when the Paris museum will reopen, after it closed on October 30 in accordance with the French government’s virus-control measures. But those lucky enough to enter will benefit from a rare private look at collections spanning 9,000 years of human history – with plenty of room to breathe.
That’s normally seriously lacking in a museum tarnished by its own success: Before the pandemic, staff walked out complaining that they couldn’t handle the overcrowding, with up to 30,000-40,000 visitors a day.
The forced closure has also given museum officials a golden opportunity to undertake long-awaited renovations that simply weren’t possible with nearly 10 million visitors per year.
In contrast to the first lockdown, which halted all Louvre activities, about 250 museum employees remained fully operational in the second.
An army of curators, restorers and workers clean sculptures, arrange artifacts, check inventories, reorganize entrances and carry out restorations, including in the Egyptian wing and the Grande Galerie, the museum’s largest hall, which is being completely renovated.
“We are taking advantage of the museum’s closure to carry out some major works, speed up maintenance work and start repairs that are difficult to schedule when the museum is operating normally,” Laurent le Guedart, Architectural Heritage and Gardens from the Louvre Director told AP from the Grande Galerie.
As Le Guedart spoke, restorers stood on top of scaffolding, taking scientific probes from the walls in preparation for a planned restoration, which harked back to the 18th century through coat after coat.
Around the corner the sound of carpenters holding up floorboards was faintly audible. They laid the cables for a new security system.
Previously, these jobs could only be done on Tuesdays, the Louvre’s only weekday. Now hammers, drills, and scrub brushes are tapping on a full weekly schedule, only slightly delayed by social distance measures.
In total, there are ten large-scale projects that have been on hold since March last year, and they are progressing rapidly.
This includes works in the Etruscan and Italian halls, and the gilded Salon Carré. A major restoration of Akhethotep’s ancient Egyptian burial chapel from 2400 BC is also underway.
“When the museum reopens, everything will be perfect for its visitors – this Sleeping Beauty has had time to powder her nose,” said Elisabeth Antoine-Konig, Curator of the Artifacts Department. “Visitors will be pleased to see these now well-lit rooms with polished floors and updated display cases.”
Initially, only visitors with pre-booked reservations will be allowed access in accordance with the virus security measures.
Those who can’t wait can still see the Louvre’s art treasure in virtual tours online
Adamson reported from Leeds, England
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