The Louvre is closed after staff voluntarily continued their strike in protest against earthquake crowds and “unacceptable” working conditions
PARIS (AP) – The world’s most visited museum and a global symbol of art, beauty and endurance, the Louvre remained closed on Monday, not by war, fear, and exhausted staff.It will collapse from inside.
It was a rare sight: the house working by Leonardo and Vinci And the greatest treasure of civilization for thousands of years was paralyzed by the very people tasked with welcoming the world to its gallery.
Still, the moment felt bigger than a labor protest. The Louvre has become the originalGlobal Overtourism– The Golden Palace was overwhelmed by its own popularity. As tourist magnets from Venice to the Acropolis go to scramble to hold back the crowds, the world’s most iconic museums have reached its own calculations.
A voluntary strike broke out during everyday internal meetings as gallery attendants, ticket agents and security officials refused to take up their posts in protest of unmanageable crowds, chronic staffing and what they called “chronic” working conditions.
“That’s itThis is Lisa“Kevin Ward of Milwaukee (there’s a moan here,” he said. One of the thousands of confused visitors was surrounded by immobile lines under Im Pei’s glass pyramid. I think she needs a break too.”
The Louvre rarely closes the door to the public. It happened during the war, during the pandemic, and several strikes — including voluntary strikes against overcrowding and fears of safety in 2019.
The confusion comes just months after President Emmanuel Macron announced a drastic decadePlan to save the LouvreJust as the current problem is boiling, there are pedestrians far beyond what the museum can handle, water leaks, dangerous temperature shaking, outdated infrastructure, and pedestrians.
But for the workers on earth, it promised a future.
“We can’t wait six years for help,” said Sarassefian of CGT Culture Union. “Our team is under pressure right now. It’s not just art – it’s about the people who keep it.”
As always, at the heart of everything isThis is Lisa– A 16th century portrait that resembles modern crowds more of a celebrity encounter than an artistic experience.
About 20,000 people will narrow down the museum’s largest room, Sardede Tatz, and simply snap a selfie with the mysterious woman behind the protective glass of Leonardo Da Vinci. The scenes are often noisy, swaying, and so dense that many barely see the masterpieces adjacent to her.
“The paintings are not visible,” said Jihyun Park, 28, who flew from Seoul to Paris. “I can see the phone. I can see the elbow. I can feel the heat. And I’m pushing it out.”
The Macron renovation blueprint, dubbed the “Louvre New Renaissance,” promises a relief. Mona Lisa eventually gets her own private room. Also, a new entrance near the Seine is planned by 2031 to ease pressure from the overwhelmed pyramid hub.
“The conditions for the exhibition, description and presentation will lead to what Mona Lisa deserves,” Macron said in January.
The Louvre welcomed 8.7 million visitors last year. More than twice what that infrastructure was designed to accommodate. Even with a cap of 30,000 daily, staff say the experience has become a test of daily endurance, with too few rest areas, limited bathrooms and the greenhouse effect of the pyramids expanding summer heat.
In a leaked memo, Louvre President Lawrence de Carr warned that some of the buildings are “no longer watertight,” that temperature fluctuations put valuable art at risk, and that even basic visitors’ needs (food, toilets, signs) are far below international standards. She described the experience simply as a “physical ordeal.”
“What started as a scheduled monthly briefing has turned into a massive expression of ventricularization,” Sefian said. Consultations between workers and management began at 10:30am and continued into the afternoon. As of early afternoon, the museum remained closed.
The projected costs are between 700 million and 800 million euros, and are expected to be funded through ticket revenue, private donations, state funds and licensing fees from the Louvre’s Abu Dhabi branch. Ticket prices for non-EU tourists are expected to rise later this year.
However, workers say their needs are more urgent than a 10-year plan.
Unlike other major sites in ParisNotre Dame CathedralOr, the Centre Pompidou Museum is not fully functional even if it is fully funded, as both have undergone government-supported restoration.
President Macron gave a speech on his 2017 election victory at the rubble, and in the meantime introduced it.2024 Parish GamesBy the end of the decade, it had promised a safer, more modern museum.
Until then, France’s biggest cultural treasure, and the crowds that flocked to it, remained trapped between the cracks.
This story was originally introduced Fortune.com