In a surprising turn of events, the Louvre Museum has announced the indefinite postponement of its competition, originally initiated in June 2025, to select an architect for its much-anticipated expansion. This information was reported by Le Figaro last Friday.
The expansion project, titled Louvre--Nouvelle Renaissance, was unveiled by French President Emmanuel Macron in January of the previous year. Its primary goal is to alleviate the overcrowding experienced by the museum, which attracts approximately 9 million visitors annually. Completion of the project was initially projected for 2031.
Plans included constructing a new entrance, modernizing aging infrastructure, and controversially, establishing a new 33,000-square-foot exhibition space dedicated to the iconic Mona Lisa. The estimated budget for the entire endeavor was around $778 million.
As reported by The Art Newspaper, the museum's budget for 2026 allocated $116 million for preliminary studies related to this overhaul, alongside $17.5 million earmarked for essential technical maintenance.
Last month, 350 staff members from various unions staged a walkout, protesting the redevelopment plans. They emphasized the need for prioritizing overdue technical upgrades and maintenance of the museum over relocating the Mona Lisa to a separate gallery.
Five architectural firms had been shortlisted by a 21-member international jury: Amanda Levete Architects, architecturestudio, Dubuisson Architecture, Sou Fujimoto, and STUDIOS Architecture. The postponement comes just days before the jury was set to vote on the winning proposal, with no new date announced for the decision.
Gaspard Joly, a partner at architecturestudio, expressed to Le Figaro his belief that the Louvre did not have sufficient time to conduct the necessary architectural and technical evaluations for all five proposals.
This delay adds to the Louvre's recent challenges, including a leaked memo from director Laurence des Cars that highlighted serious structural issues, water leaks, and overcrowding concerns.
