Overview
- The French culture ministry, which named the winning team Monday, selected STUDIOS Architecture Paris with Selldorf Architects and landscape firm BASE after a jury review of five finalists.
- Plans include a dedicated Mona Lisa gallery of about 33,000 square feet with separate access and its own ticket to ease pressure on the rest of the museum.
- A new entrance on the Louvre’s eastern Colonnade is meant to relieve crush at the glass pyramid, which was built for about four million visitors while the museum now sees roughly nine million a year.
- Louvre president Christophe Leribault and the culture minister say the redesign will prioritize upgraded security systems and repairs to the leaking, aging palace following last fall’s $100 million crown‑jewels theft and a critical government report.
- Costs remain unsettled, with Macron’s aides citing €700–800 million and the Court of Auditors estimating about €1.15 billion, though the 2026 budget sets aside roughly €116 million for studies and €17.5 million for technical maintenance, including €2.1 million for artwork safety.