Sawt Falasteen - Macron pledges Louvre 'renaissance' after decay alarm

Standing in front of the Mona Lisa, Macron said plans included a "special space" for Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece that would be "independently accessible compared to the rest of the museum", with "its own access pass".

The museum in central Paris would also have a "new grand entrance" to help ease congestion at its glass-and-metal pyramid entry point and be financed entirely using the institution's "own resources".

As part of the so-called "New Renaissance" project, France would over the next few months launch an "international architecture competition" and select winners by the end of the year to transform its buildings by 2031 at the latest, Macron said.

The seat of French kings until Louis XIV abandoned it for Versailles in the late 1600s, the Louvre is regularly listed as the world's most visited museum, and houses masterpieces including the Mona Lisa and the Greek marble sculpture of Venus de Milo.

But the Paris landmark has become a subject of national concern after the revelation last week of a confidential memo written by its director Laurence des Cars to Culture Minister Rachida Dati warning about the "proliferation of damage in museum spaces".

Some areas "are no longer watertight, while others experience significant temperature variations, endangering the preservation of artworks", she wrote.

The Louvre's popularity is causing also a "physical strain" on the historic building, she said.

Des Cars said the Louvre required an overhaul that was likely to be costly and technically complicated.

A total of 8.7 million people visited its famed galleries last year -- around twice the number it was designed for -- and des Cars has expressed concern about the quality of the user experience.

- 'Higher fee' for non-EU visitors -

The Louvre management estimates the renovation work could cost hundreds of millions of euros.

Macron said "a different, higher fee for foreign visitors from countries outside the European Union" starting next year would help cover the costs.

A government source said earlier that authorities were also considering ways to "mobilise resources elsewhere" and get private donors and major companies involved.

France relied on donations from billionaires and the public to restore Notre Dame cathedral, which was ravaged by fire in 2019 and reopened last month.

The restoration cost a total of nearly 700 million euros ($730 million) and was financed from the 846 million euros in donations that poured in from 150 countries.

Macron scored a major diplomatic coup with Notre Dame's renovation and reopening, and some critics say he is seeking to score political points with his Louvre announcements amid a protracted political crisis.

"It's not his field," grumbled a member of the government. "He's buying himself popularity points on the cheap."

Macron's popularity has dropped to a new low since his first election in 2017, according to a poll published Sunday.

Just 21 percent of respondents to the IFOP poll published in the Journal de Dimanche newspaper expressed satisfaction with the 47-year-old president.

Unlike most other Paris museums, which are closed every Monday, the Louvre is shut on Tuesdays, meaning Macron did not cross paths with the general public on his visit.

E.AbuRizq--SF-PST