The Grand Louvre, with its many masterpieces, has always been a haven for the greatness of the world's artistic heritage. Recently, however, one quintessential work of art, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, has been the cause of discontent and disappointment.
The Louvre may put the Mona Lisa in the basement to put an end to "public disappointment," writes The Telegraph.
People from all over the world come to the Louvre in Paris for it, pay 22 euros, stand in huge queues for a few seconds of viewing the painting and leave disappointed.
In a recent survey, tourists' responses to the experience ranged from "never been so disappointed" to "torture".
"We do not receive visitors very well in this hall, so it seems to us that we are not coping with our work. Moving the Mona Lisa to a separate room could put an end to the public's disappointment," its director Lawrence de Cars told the Louvre's employees.
Vincent Delevingne, chief curator of 16th-century Italian painting at the Louvre, agrees.
"We have been thinking about it for a long time, but this time everyone agrees. It's a big room, and the Mona Lisa is in the back, behind protective glass, so at first glance it looks like a postage stamp," he said.
This contradicts the original intention of the artist.
"Leonardo da Vinci wanted to establish a direct relationship between the painting and the person who contemplates it," says Delevingne.
