Louvre director Christophe Leribault says the Paris museum needs a major renovation to update its aging infrastructure, strengthen security and improve the experience for visitors. Without those changes, he warned, the institution could eventually be forced to close.
The museum welcomed 9 million visitors in 2025. Leribault has put the renovation programme's cost at about $1.24 billion, describing the work as complex, with security and other needs closely connected.
Plans for an expansion and wider modernization project resumed in May, when Selldorf Architects and Studios Architecture Paris were selected to lead the design. The project is intended to address practical concerns such as visitor movement and security alongside the museum's broader infrastructure needs.
How the Louvre upgrades its facilities could help shape the future of large museums, showing how historic institutions can protect their collections while welcoming millions of visitors.
