On June 27, 2025, France's Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, announced an international architectural competition for a significant remodeling of the Louvre Museum.
The project, titled "New Renaissance," aims to transform the world's most visited museum, with completion expected by 2031. The initiative, backed by President Emmanuel Macron, includes a new entrance on the museum's eastern facade, specifically the Perrault Colonnade, and the construction of underground halls to improve visitor flow.
The remodeling, estimated to cost between 700 and 800 million euros, will be funded through museum resources, patronage, and the Louvre's brand exploitation. The last major renovation of the Louvre was the construction of the glass pyramid designed by Ieoh Ming Pei in the 1980s.
The project also includes a dedicated space for Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, which currently attracts over 20,000 visitors daily. The goal is to modernize the museum and accommodate the growing number of visitors, which reached 9 million in 2024, 80% of whom were from abroad.
The architectural competition seeks to attract renowned architects worldwide to design the new entrance and underground halls. The aim is to revitalize the Louvre and strengthen its position as a leading global museum.
Minister Dati emphasized that this project represents "a new architectural and cultural impetus" for the museum, 40 years after the glass pyramid's construction.