The Mona Lisa is currently on display at the Medici Museum.

What is the reason for the renovation of the Salle des États, commonly referred to as the Mona Lisa room?

Thirty years have passed since the completion of the “Grand Louvre” and the Pyramid. The museum’s attendance has doubled since then and continues to rise. Renovations are required to: Support the increasing number of international visitors. Bring The Louvre into compliance with current safety, accessibility, and conservation regulations. Renovate areas that have deteriorated over time.

• Improve conditions so all employees at the Louvre can work to create a well office environment. The Salle des États (home to the Mona Lisa and the most visited area of the museum) has gone through major renovation over the past 14 years (2001–2005) and is now scheduled for another round of renovations. Why is the Mona Lisa moving? In order to complete at least partially renovations of the Salle des États without negatively affecting visitor experience we will temporarily relocate the Mona Lisa. She is scheduled to return to the Salle des États by October 2019.
• Galerie Medici (one of the largest spaces at the Louvre) provides ample room and light to accommodate the many visitors who visit daily to see the Mona Lisa. The painting will hang on a separate wall, inside a case, which has temperature controls and fogger to provide humidity, just as it does when shown in the room where it has been displayed the last three years, the Salle des Etats.
• The Mona Lisa is an extraordinary fragile piece of art, and cannot be moved from the Louvre at any time. Inside the museum, it has only been moved a couple of times: in order to complete the renovations made to the layout of all of the museum's exhibits, the painting was moved to the Grande Galerie from 1992 to 1995, and then was moved to the Salle Rosa from 2001 to 2005 as part of the previous renovation efforts to the Salle des États.
• The Mona Lisa's unmatched attraction rate—70 percent of all people visiting the Louvre want to see it—means that you need a suitable venue for this immense artwork, as it cannot fit into the "Leonardo da Vinci" exhibition (October 24, 2019–February 24th, 2020), or many, if not most people, would not experience any joy from viewing this great piece of art at the Hall Napoleon due to its limited size.

Could you please provide directions to the Galerie Médicis (room 801)?

When you walk into the Pyramid, you'll need to find the main entrance to the Richelieu wing. After having your ticket checked, make a right turn and take the escalator up to level 2. Then, proceed through the Paintings collection and into room 801 will be on your right.

In order to carry out renovations in the Salle des États in a timely manner while ensuring optimal visiting conditions, the Mona Lisa will be temporarily relocated. The painting will return to the Salle des États in October 2019.

One of the Louvre’s largest rooms, the Galerie Médicis is a suitable location for the Mona Lisa as it can accommodate the tens of thousands of visitors who come to see it every day. The painting will be displayed on a temporary wall, inside a temperature-controlled protective case like the one in which it is usually presented in the Salle des États.

The Mona Lisa is a particularly fragile work and can no longer travel outside the Louvre. Even within the Louvre, the work is moved only on rare occasions: it was transferred to the Grande Galerie between 1992 and 1995 to accommodate changes to museum spaces, and to the Salle Rosa between 2001 and 2005, during the previous renovation campaign of the Salle des États.

Due to its exceptional drawing power—it is estimated that 70% of all Louvre visitors wish to see the work—the Mona Lisa must be displayed in a space that can accommodate large numbers of people. The work will not feature in the “Leonardo da Vinci” exhibition (October 24, 2019–February 24, 2020), as the majority of visitors would be denied the pleasure of admiring the work due to the Hall Napoléon’s limited size.

How do I get to the Galerie Médicis (room 801)?

Once under the Pyramid, proceed to the Richelieu wing entrance. After the ticket controls, turn right and take the escalator to the top floor (level 2). Enter the Paintings collection rooms and continue to room 801 on your right.