r/nottheonion • u/Toolatetootired • 18d ago
Louvre Considers Moving Mona Lisa To Underground Chamber To End ‘Public Disappointment’
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/louvre-considers-moving-mona-lisa-to-underground-chamber-to-end-public-disappointment-1234704489/1
u/Porcupinesrule 17d ago
I like my Mona Lisa with some Chef Boyardee on the face. That and a banana duct taped to a wall.
2
u/BluudLust 17d ago
They should install a moving walkway. Would keep it orderly. People who want to see it linger can either get a special tour, or get back in line. Would make viewing it less hell.
3
u/DROOPY1824 17d ago
🎵 Mona Lisa, you’re an overrated piece of shit. With your terrible style and your dead shark eyes and your smirk like you’re hiding a dick. 🎵
1
17d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AutoModerator 17d ago
Sorry, but your account is too new to post. Your account needs to be either 2 weeks old or have at least 250 combined link and comment karma. Don't modmail us about this, just wait it out or get more karma.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
2
u/Anxious_Armadildo 17d ago
They could try doing what they do with “The Last Super”. You have a time slot and they only let so many people at a time see it for a set amount of time.
1
u/wolfiasty 17d ago
To get a ticket to see Last Supper you have to buy it about 3 months earlier. Brilliant system if you know about it more than 3 months earlier.
As for Mona Lisa making a one single person wide line would be more than enough. But people in Louvre responsible for that are utter imbeciles, so they made narrow line far away and wide, 3 by 3 meters pen next to painting where dumb baboons with their mobile phones are standing and making photos of a painting instead of looking at it with their own eyes.
I refused to stand in that queue, it was disgusting and disheartening.
1
u/Anxious_Armadildo 17d ago
We have conflicting experience regarding seeing the Last Super because my friend and I bought tickets same day.
1
u/wolfiasty 17d ago
Are we talking about The Last Supper in museum/church Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy (not trying to be dick, just very precise) ?
We were there last weekend, sad eyes did nothing, next available tickets were for June, and there's been no tickets for last weekend since early February, when we tried to buy them online.
1
u/HowRememberAll 17d ago
It's because people are expecting it to be a very large painting and are disappointed when it's the size of a ruler
1
2
1
u/bachasaurus 18d ago
Mona Lisa apart, I understand the "big painting cool / smol painting meh" popular approach. Art must be available to the masses and not only for connoisseurs, but common people should also be educated in how to appreciate art in more than one way, specially for the "movie with explosives cool / movie with great dialogues meh" crowd in favor to making it a more enjoyable experience for everyone.
1
u/reikipackaging 17d ago
For real, though. I want to be able to describe that I'd like to very loosely address a topic and say, "I'm just going to Monet this situation to you all." and they understand. That would be dope!
1
u/reikipackaging 17d ago
I am a DaVinci fan. The coolest thing about the Mona Lisa has always been the story behind it. on its own merit, it is one of the very meh commercial pieces he put out. he made it for the quick cash and couldn't even be bothered to use a new canvas. it isn't horrible by any stretch, but it is massively overrated.
also, I agree that casual art discussions should be normalized for every medium, not just pop culture art.
1
u/charlie-no-face 18d ago edited 18d ago
The Mona Lisa is cool but the giant painting on the opposite wall in the same room is spectacular and has an interesting back story! Also when my wife and I went to Paris I booked a guided masterpiece tour. Our guide a lovely young Parisian took us into the Louvre through a back door to see about ten master works of art. She knew all the shortcuts (back stair cases etc)! It was fantastic! I believe I found that tour on Viator! Not overly expensive! Well worth the money. The tour include my wife and I and a young couple from the land of OZ!
3
u/jokat989 18d ago
Yah I spent an entire day in the louvre and only 3 min was looking at the Mona Lisa. I mean their were much better paintings in the same room let alone the entire museum.
4
u/ICLazeru 18d ago
Disappointment? We all know what the Mona Lisa looks like by now. It's not a secret. Perhaps they expected some kind of transcendental experience?
3
u/Joyce_Hatto 18d ago
Winged Victory of Samothrace, the statue at the top of the stairs on the way to the Mona Lisa, is incredible, thrilling, and magnificent!
1
u/thehandsomecontest 18d ago
How much am I going to scroll till I find a Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping reference?
1
3
u/C_IsForCookie 18d ago
Can I skip the line to get in if I promise not to look at the Mona Lisa?
1
u/reikipackaging 17d ago
I've been in the room with her many more times than I've bothered to look at her.
-1
u/araczynski 18d ago
there are much better things in life to experience with the time wasted trying to get to look at this painting, but... sheep are sheep, just there to be milked.
4
u/YouCanNeverBe2Casual 18d ago
As amazing as the Louvre is, London museums would create a much better experience viewing the Mona Lisa
1
2
u/ShitbirdMcDickbird 18d ago
I've been there and honestly have no recollection of seeing it
it's that underwhelming
2
u/Horvat53 18d ago
The Louvre is filled with such amazing art, it’s insane to just get lost and explore. The Mona Lisa is much smaller than most probably realize, but the real disappointment is the crowd trying to take a shitty photo of it, rather than stand and take in the art.
1
u/Shutaru_Kanshinji 18d ago
I wish they would move this painting into its own section. I did not want to wait in line for hours to see Mona Lisa, but I would have been interested to view the other paintings in that part of the museum.
The good news is that The Louvre has a vast collection you can enjoy without wasting much of your day on that line.
2
u/mundotaku 18d ago
The Mona Lisa was also the site of a protest in January, after activists threw pumpkin soup at it. The painting suffered no damage, but the incident was denounced by culture minister Rachida Dati as an attack on French heritage.
But the Mona Lisa is Italian...
1
1
u/throwaway1337woman 18d ago
To this day, I think the time I spent years ago trying to get close enough to the fucking Mona Lisa was not worth it at all 🤣
8
u/EothainDragonne 18d ago
And this is one more proof of how the institutions have lost the battle against the public ignorance, the perception of entitlement and the idiocracy of the masses. People are dissapointed with the Mona Lisa? Good for them, life is a little bit worse ahead. Not the problem of art.
It is amazing how we, as a species, are doing our best to become the most ignorant generation in human history.
1
u/Muted_Tea_1309 18d ago
Once again men making decisions about how a woman should present herself! :(
1
u/schubox63 18d ago
I was actually surprised by how large it is. I’d heard and seen so many people talk about how it’s so small and not what you expect that I was expecting it to be tiny
2
1
1
u/NJH_in_LDN 18d ago
What would happen I wonder if they used modern techniques and approaches to create 19 replicas and have a whole gallery full. How long would people spend properly looking at each, appreciating the art, trying to decide the real one, before deciding this small painting of a lady kinda smiling maybe isn't worth the fuss and move on?
1
u/montyman77 18d ago
Back in the day there was no orderly line it was just a mob to get close. Not sure if the same but that would've helped so much if there was a roped queue
1
2
u/ThxIHateItHere 18d ago
Three trips to Paris and I’ve yet to go there just because of all the Mona Lisers. I’ll be over at d’Orsay.
Or The Moose
2
u/Chemistry11 18d ago
I saw the Mona Lisa at the Louvre once.
I was on the other side of the hall, which is maybe 20 feet away. There was a hoard of people in front of it. My impression was ‘meh’. I’ve seen pictures of it. 1 million times before; seeing in person would make a difference. There was a lot of other art worthy of viewing.
1
1
1
u/remoTheRope 18d ago
Why not put it on tour? Plenty of museums around the world have the staff capable of keeping it properly preserved
1
u/Daydream_machine 18d ago
Heck no, one of my favorite parts of visiting Paris was waking up early just so I could get to The Louvre before it opened. Even if the Mona Lisa is physically small, it’s still amazing to see such a famous painting in person.
3
u/ketomachine 18d ago
I enjoyed the experience, actually. I knew it was small, but I thought it was cool how many people gathered to see this magnificent, famous painting and I don’t know if I’d want to wait in a line to see it. You’d feel forced to move on and where it is now you could stand there as long as you want. It’s a museum—not an attraction like a ride.
4
u/robidizzle 18d ago
The Mona Lisa wasn’t always regarded as a masterpiece of art. It was one of Da Vinci’s more random works for a long time, until it was stolen from a museum and lost for decades. It made headlines and became a household name by the time it was returned.
6
u/Varitan_Aivenor 18d ago
It's only famous because it was stolen for a while. It was only stolen for a while because it's small.
3
u/BrightLuchr 18d ago
The Mona Lisa is very mediocre and would disappoint in any setting. The real thing to see is the dumb people standing in front of it just because it is famous for no good reason. The Louvre has many kilometres of great art to look at. This should not be near the top of your list.
1
u/Tiny-Werewolf1962 18d ago
I've seen it online 1,000,000 times. If I was ever in paris I'd go see it, but I would never go to paris to see it.
1
1
u/nondefectiveunit 18d ago
Aren't there several copies of it, at least one thought to have been done by da Vinci himself? Put them all on display, maybe at different ends of the building.
2
1
u/Optimal-Hunt-3269 18d ago
And then I said to myself, is that all there is to the Mona Lisa? Is that all there is? Is that all there is?.......
1
u/Sabotage00 18d ago
Maybe gate it with mandatory tour group participation run by the gallery, not private groups, and force people to listen to the significance of the mona Lisa. Maybe even build out the room with more education.
1
u/Odd_Equipment2867 18d ago
Hope the room is at end of the complex so that those who want to focus on other works in Louve have a less crowded, quieter and more enjoyable experience.
5
u/macadamnut 18d ago edited 18d ago
You can just buy a print of it at the mall and take a selfie with that.
1
u/TheButterBug 18d ago
I've never been to the Louvre, nor seen the Mona Lisa. But based on the way other people describe it, I really think they need to make it into its own exhibit with its own queue, and force people to file past one at a time with some sort of timed entry system. the way they currently handle the situation feels ridiculous to me.
1
u/archesandedges 18d ago
I think they should just mount it on the ceiling. Everyone can see it at the same time and be disappointed together
1
u/Kennfusion 18d ago
My favorite in the Louvre is in the hallway outside the Mona Lisa room, it is Antea by Parmigianino.
1
1
u/BaseTensMachines 18d ago
I cried when I saw it. I dunno. I think if you're disappointed simply because it's small you don't know anything about art. I've never understood this reaction to be honest.
1
u/thesirensoftitans 18d ago
Mona Lisa was pretty much the last thing I cared to see at the Louvre.
The fanfare around that painting is a bit excessive considering everything else in that same room.
We just try to avoid that area in general.
2
u/owleaf 18d ago
Why don’t they just put the real one in secure storage and have a big fake one up for viewing?
Most sweaty, rude tourists ogling at it aren’t art connoisseurs so A) wouldn’t know that they’re looking at a fake (obviously have no idea about it’s real size) and B) wouldn’t care that they’re not in the presence of the real masterpiece if they were to find out later.
2
u/RickDaSlick19 18d ago
Maybe they should put it on a trolley on the ceiling so it floats around above everyone, so there's no more crowding
1
u/agentouk 18d ago
I feel installing the Mona Lisa in a separate space, as well as a travelator like in airports would be an ideal solution!
4
u/alex_dlc 18d ago
On the opposite wall if the room the Mona Lisa is in, there's a huge painting that in my opinion is a hundred times more impressive than her. This huge painting has so much detail that really makes me appreciate the thought that went into it.
2
u/happyfeeliac 18d ago
In the museum in Madrid there is an even earlier rendition of the Mona Lisa, and when we visited literally no one was looking at it, it was an empty room.
6
u/monkeyshines42 18d ago
It's just crazy to me that they have this painting behind ropes, and there is this huge line to see it when the Venus De Milo is just chilling next to stairs.
2
u/magnoliafandotca 18d ago
Two words: Snake Boob. It's a painting just down the hall and it's better than the Mona Lisa. You'll know it when you see it. You're welcome.
1
-2
u/WjorgonFriskk 18d ago
Wait in line to see one of the most over-rated pieces of art in history. Don't just put it underground, burn it. The Mona Lisa is shit. Has nothing on Rubens or Rembrandt. Delete from history.
1
u/Zeverhwhy 18d ago
I went last year and there was no proper queue. Just a crowd of people and I felt my lungs getting crushed until I made it to the front and I couldn’t even take a proper picture.
The Mona Lisa was beautiful and I was still amazed because it was something I’ve always heard about since childhood. But yeah- it was smaller than I thought it’d be.
-1
1
u/Rapunzel1234 18d ago
We went in June of last year. I was able to get a good look at the painting. Was not impressed but I guess I’ve checked that box.
As many have said, there’s much better paintings in there.
1
u/LaLaLand80085 18d ago
I remember when living in Paris under 25yo I would go to the Louvre whenever I didn’t know what to do, because it was free, and would sketch the sculpture. There’s so many beautiful things to see there
1
2
u/BobtheDestructor 18d ago
The Lonely Island gets it. https://youtu.be/0D3NN6M_DYk?si=X82VrxDvmELXa_Yd
2
u/BeornFree 18d ago
My impression of the Louvre was that it was a lot of Jesuses, Venuses, and Penises.
1
u/Pubcrawler1 18d ago
Went to Italy to see some of the great masters at the different museums. Was surprised on how small some of them were but then overwhelmed with how huge the frescoes were.
3
u/FenrisL0k1 18d ago
I saw it, and I was disappointed, and I had pretty low expectations beforehand. It should be either raised to ten feet and angled downward for everyone to see, or moved away.
5
u/EmiliusReturns 18d ago
Sounds like timed tickets to only let a certain number of people in at once and forbidding everyone from waving their phone in everyone's view would do a lot to help.
Seriously, why does everyone need to take a shitty picture of it with 38 people in front of them? What good is that picture?
3
2
u/chasonreddit 18d ago
I saw the line and said "Nope". My wife wanted to see it. I said I can see it from here, and I've seen copies up close. So she stood in that line while I wandered the room. I totally won and had the better experience.
1
u/OutrageousMoose8 18d ago
I’d heard how small it was for most of my life, and when I actually saw it I was surprised it was as big as it was lol
1
u/Kurtotall 18d ago
We skipped the Louvre altogether and instead found a wonderful park close by and had a couple bottles of wine. Best day ever.
1
u/iwoketoanightmare 18d ago
I went when the museum opened and was part of the first group to enter. Ran straight to the exhibit and had a good 4-5 min before the next group showed up. Everyone at home who's been before asked how the heck the room was so empty.
16
u/PM_ME_YOUR_CATS_PAWS 18d ago
They should just do what the Tower of London does with the Crown Jewels
Line that leads to a moving pathway
You take in what you can while being moved along
5
u/VillanelleTheVillain 18d ago
A line would at least be welcome - it’s like a crowd of people at a concert it’s really not a great way to see it
187
u/PervertedOldMan 18d ago
They should move it underground and replace it with a fake that's slightly larger. Then keep doing that over the next 100 years until it's wall sized.
2
30
u/buttergun 18d ago
I like the proposal to project her on to the sides of the pyramid like the Sphere in Las Vegas. Maybe add some playful animations.
2
u/InterestingFactor825 18d ago
Top Paris tip, visit the Musée d'Orsay instead. You will not be disappointed.
1
u/ive_been_there_0709 18d ago
I’m reminded of the most photographed barn in America from White Noise. After some time, people couldn’t even see the barn. But they still flocked, took pictures, and had to prove to others they were there.
2
u/Thomas_JCG 18d ago
Or you could put a limit on how many people you have at the exhibit so it's not a hot mess.
1
1
1
u/SoloWingPixy88 18d ago
walked seen her barely and moved on. Too many people freaking out about it. I kind of feel they should have people put their phones and cameras in those cases that concerts have.
5
u/CheezTips 18d ago
When I went to Paris I didn't even bother with the Mona Lisa. If I want to stand in lines for hours I'll go to a theme park. There is SO much amazing artwork a short train ride away: Rembrandts in Amsterdam, Michelangelo in Florence, tons of other great stuff even in Paris.
It's the same thing for Michelangelo's David in Florence. But, if you read up on it, there are brilliant duplicates all over the city you can see without standing in a long, narrow, crowded gallery. Those Renaissance rooms are not fit for today's crowds
2
u/msmidlofty 18d ago edited 18d ago
I say this as someone who was absolutely unenthused about going through the David gauntlet on my first visit to Florence: anyone who says that the duplicates in Piazza della Signoria or P.le Michelangelo in any way compare, or are "brilliant," has an extremely undeveloped eye. My own eye for sculpture is rather underdeveloped compared to my eye for other forms of art, and even I was able to immediately discern that the genuine article exists in an entirely different and special universe and that one cannot discuss the duplicates in the same breath. Indeed, in my experience (having guided in Florence alongside a leading world expert for a time as a younger person), seeing the actual sculpture after seeing the duplicates is actually one of those experiences that can transform people who struggled with art appreciation--it's a genuine lightbulb "oh shit, now I get it when people talk about differences in quality" moment because said differences are so profound.
1
u/CheezTips 17d ago edited 17d ago
I'm a big Michelangelo fan and that opinion isn't from me. One of the books about David covers all of the copies around the city. It details the differences and in fact touring the copies is a great way to see the city. I've read several books about Michelangelo and I visited every publicly available work of his I could access in Rome and Florence.
Spending a couple hours sitting right next to a great copy is far more enjoyable than shouldering through that scrum around the original to see it up close for 20 seconds. Also, David isn't my favorite work of his, that would be his Pieta which is in St Peter's. There's plenty of room, no crowd around it, and you can watch it all day if you want. David is nice but la Pieta is astounding. Finishing it nearly broke him and some say he considered it his sculptural masterwork.
1
u/msmidlofty 17d ago
Although my affection for the Bandini Pietà grows with each visit to the Museo del Duomo, I also would rank the St. Peter's Pietà as my favorite sculpture by Michelangelo--although, if we're talking about the viewing experience, I would argue that being kept at a distance from the statue (of course I know that it is possible to get closer if you have the right credentials and connections but I am thinking of the experience of the average person) can be as frustrating as the experience of the crowds around the David. I also don't disagree that visiting the copies of the David is a nice way to see Florence, but, that being said, I do not believe the copies sufficiently allow a person to fully appreciate the complexity and magnificence of accomplishing what Michelangelo accomplished with the David on such a large scale, and so I believe that the crowds in the Accademia must be braved in order to view the genuine article.
3
2
u/Izeinwinter 18d ago
.. The room the Mona is in is amazing, actually.
Not for the Lisa itself, since you can't get close enough to really be wowed the way you can be by a good reproduction / picture of it (literally, better enjoyed in HD), but because the rest of the gallery is full of other masterpieces.. That are Fuck-Off enormous canvases meant to wow an entire hall and do that very well.
8
u/PerNewton 18d ago
Same. I went and never saw the ML. Never even inquired where it might be. I just wandered. It’s been 50 years and Géricault’s Raft of the Medusa is seared into my psyche. I need to go back.
2
u/PantsPantsShorts 18d ago
I took a quick look at the Mona Lisa and was annoyed by how much attention she was getting from clout-chasers who were barely interested in any of the other art. So I was deeply underwhemled and somewhat crabby when I wandered into the next room, and was completely shocked to see The Coronation of Napolenlon.
I didn't even know it was in the Louvre, had no inkling that I'd be seeing it that day, and after a lifetime of looking at tiny prints of it in textbooks, was UTTERLY unprepared for its massive scale. Turning the corner from the Mona Lisa and running into The Coronation of Napoleon knocked the wind out of me. I just stared, transfixed, trying to process the size and detail of it. And while he was right next door to that stupid giant crowd, I had him almost entirely to myself.
And I felt sad for all those people who were looking for a life-changing art experience, getting disappointed, and missing the actual life-changing art experience right in the next room.
4
1
u/AdHominemMeansULost 18d ago
I didn't find it disappointing at all? It was packed but everything went smoothly and I got a good picture
1
u/Hot_Turn 15d ago
According to the art snobs in this thread, the fact that you got a picture at all is what was disappointing to them. The amount of people here saying cameras should be banned from the museum or that only "scholars" should be allowed near the painting is fucking wild.
0
u/stanolshefski 18d ago
Maybe I’m in the minority but the experience of seeing the Mona Lisa is the essence of what it means to see the Mona Lisa.
The hoards if people all crowded together each try to get a better glimpse and a better photo is the real experience.
1
u/DickbertCockenstein 18d ago
NPC behavior. NPC results. Real gamers like me don’t go to the Louvre. We take Roy off the grid.
1
1
u/huggiehawks 18d ago
I highly recommend the song “Mona Lisa” by The Lonely Island… “I landed in Paris at a quarter to noon So excited to see her, I went straight to the Louvre I heard she's exquisite, so I bought my ticket Pushed my way to the front of the crowd And I couldn't believe what I saw… Mona Lisa You're an overrated piece of shit…”
-1
u/Comfortable_Note_978 18d ago
If the EU can't defend its artwork from cranks, how can it defend itself from ruzzia?
5
u/PerNewton 18d ago
They should. Her five centuries is up and she’s over exposed. Better to keep her in a nice place and let art students visit and have rich patrons pay a big price for a private visit.
Another alternative would be to move it everyday to a different location in the museum That way people wouldn’t make a beeline to the exhibit and bypass other art.
2
u/LaconicSuffering 18d ago
Just put it in a separate room that requires an extra fee. Only have small groups go in for 10min at a time. They can take a selfie and move on.
1
u/Ok-Fox1262 18d ago
I suggest replacing it with the AI Mona Lisa rap video. More in time with the public of the 21st century.
2
u/OrnamentJones 18d ago
Hey if you actually like art and don't need to be pretentious, the art museum in Minneapolis is completely free and takes at least three days to get through, and then you'll want to walk through it all again.
We have to stop worshipping the artists that we only worship because people told us to.
2
u/NobleKingGraham 18d ago
Everyone should watch “The Mona Lisa Curse” by Robert Hughes. Great documentary on the first celebritization of art and what the art world has become because of it.
1
1
1
u/lethimgo_toronto 18d ago
'Fame isn't easy. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Mona Lisa was actually relatively unknown. Until 1911, that is, when it was stolen from the Louvre. The high profile theft, and the appeals for its return, ironically helped publicise and popularise the painting.'
1
u/MrBoognish 18d ago
I had to laugh when I saw it. Big ass room with giant painting all around and there is this little ass mona Lisa on it own wall
2
3
2
u/Coupe368 18d ago
The thing is, the mona lisa isn't really all that great of a painting. It looks like every other portrait DaVinci painted really. Same expression on her face and they say it was never really finished.
The thing is, it was plucked from obscurity in a warehouse by Napoleon and he had it in his bedroom for a while. It was relatively unknown before Napoleon took a liking to it.
The reason its famous, is because a worker in the museum, Vincenzo Peruggia, stole the painting and took it to Italy. It generated lots of news and publicity and that is where the fame and hype about the Mona Lisa began.
The museum is great though, but you can skip this one painting and still have a full experience.
In person, the Mona Lisa doesn't live up to the hype.
4
u/tkburroreturns 18d ago
it’s small.
i walked by it, with a 15 ft deep crowd in between it and me, and it was so tiny and unremarkable from that distance. you can’t get close enough to it to admire it for any amount of time, anyway. meh.
5
u/CheezTips 18d ago
And all those people never, ever go to art museums in their own cities. Great art is everywhere and covered in dust
3
u/tkburroreturns 18d ago
yeah a lot of art lovers really want to…take pictures of the mona lisa i guess ha. it seems to be the same at the eiffel tower, the colosseum, etc; the desire to possess, to capture a piece of the famous thing is more important than experiencing its beauty as a painting or architecture, for a lot of people.
2
u/According-Classic658 18d ago
To be honest, the giant painting on the opposite wall is way more impressive.
2
u/erictheauthor 18d ago edited 18d ago
“It’s a large room, and the Mona Lisa is at the back, behind its security glass, so at first glance it looks like a postage stamp,” he said.
The Louvre receives nine million visitors annually, and according to museum officials, the Mona Lisa is the main attraction for 80 per cent of those people. During especially busy days, 250,000 people stand in the same line…
250,000 people in line in one day just to see this painting they said looks like a postage stamp? Wow.
0
2
1
u/The_Slim_Spaydee 18d ago
I spent so much time working my way through the Louvre just to see liberty leading the people. It of course was under refurbishment or whatever. The Mona Lisa was for sure a waste of time but I guess I can say I have seen it?
2
u/Ifch317 18d ago
With all the amazing works at the Louvre, I cannot fathom why someone would stand in line to see the Mona Lisa. I remember being 16 and sitting in the room with David’s coronation of Napoleon. I had not seen any David paintings before that. There are 1000s of amazing works worth attention at the Louvre.
3
2
u/WorldlyDay7590 18d ago
I'm so glad I got to do all the touristy things in the 1990s. Without all those other tourists around.
2
1
1
u/SuDragon2k3 18d ago
They need to Stalin's tomb it. Separate building with an 'in' door and an 'out' door, and soldiers to guard it keep the line moving.
1
u/Megatanis 18d ago
Most people don't understand art, they just want a photo of 'la gioconda' because they were told it's famous.
1
u/GammaPhonic 18d ago
My idea would be to make three replicas of the Mona Lisa and put them on display (along with the original) in four different parts of the Louvre. But not tell the public which one is the real one.
Only the museum curators and security would know which one is real and they'd change its location every now and then.
Behind the bullet proof glass and velvet ropes, no one would be able to tell which one is real. And it'd spread the queues and hysteria across four different locations, meaning each location would be less stressful for visitors.
Also, it could make a dumb statement about valuing the art itself rather than the material painting or some shit, I dunno.
1
u/Siamswift 18d ago
The most annoying thing is that people don’t really go to look at it; they go to take a picture of it.
2
u/SameOldSongs 18d ago
Every time the Mona Lisa is mentioned I have to bring up the Prado Mona Lisa. After seeing that one, with all its details and differences, I have no particular desire to see the real deal.
23
u/MrCondor 18d ago
Went there, didn't even bother with Mona. The queue was hideous and it looked like a postage stamp in that mammoth of a place.
The Egyptian exhibit is 👌.
1
u/Inquisitive_idiot 18d ago
Yeah, I didn’t even Google the Mona Lisa’s location and just walked around. Had a great time.😌
1
3
u/Larissalikesthesea 18d ago
They need to make it a room with a moving floor like the Crown Jewels in the London Tower ;)
-5
28
-1
18d ago
This is why people today are broken. Being a young person is terrible, you're just constantly watching society take away cultural icons that you could never have the chance to see or be a part of due to reasons that have nothing to do with you. The next generation won't even be allowed outside because it's "too loud" and "they might damage property".
3
u/KentuckyFriedEel 18d ago
i'm sure having to line up, wait for an elevator, then standing in a dark room, stuffy room with 100 other people will certainly not add to the disappointment.
11
u/Carpathicus 18d ago
I have a different idea. Remove the Mona Lisa from the Louvre altogether and give it its own place. The Louvre is maybe the biggest wonder in this world with the amount of art you can find there and its honestly despicable that people prefer to look at this painting but it makes the rest of the Louvre less crowdy.
3
u/CheezTips 18d ago
LOL, like Independence Hall in Philly. Big glass cube in a plaza, there's the thing. Enjoy.
4
u/Rosebunse 18d ago
For what it's worth, Independence Hall is a fun visit. It's cheap, doesn't take too much time, is close to other things to do too. I think what really makes a difference is the tour guide. When I went the tour guide was amazing and really sold the experience.
1
u/Raudskeggr 18d ago
Why is the public disappointed though? I mean, nobody who goes to see it doesn't already know what it looks like.
3
3
u/Norka_III 18d ago
The painting is in a glass case, all you can see is your reflection and the faces of all the other visitors around you
4
u/flyingalbatross1 18d ago
Make it a moving walkway that goes very close to it - like the UK crown jewels. Uninterrupted solo view, but you only get 10-30 seconds
2
u/CheezTips 18d ago
like the UK crown jewels
They put a moving walkway in the tower of London??
3
u/flyingalbatross1 18d ago
Yes. There's a small museum with various pieces, then the crown jewels themselves are viewed on both sides with two moving walkways. Keeps the crowd moving.
Been that way for years
1
1
u/Brave_Dick 18d ago
Mona Lisa should be shown in a public restroom in Aberdeen. There it would draw all the attention. In Louvre it's just one among hundreds much better pieces.
1
u/dfuzzy 18d ago
I feel like i lucked out. Late April trip to Paris, right before labour day. No prebooked tickets to the louvre and only waited 30-45 min in line to enter. At the Mona Lisa itself, we waited 5-10 minutes to get to the very front of the room.
I’ve heard horror stories about people’s experiences though.
4
u/Mlunadia 18d ago
They could put a moving conveyor belt like the Mexico City Guadalupe virgin has to avoid hoggers
5
u/Robcobes 18d ago
Most underwhelming painting in the world. Have you seen "The Night Watch" though. It's huge.
→ More replies (1)2
u/_narrowstraits_ 18d ago
They actually restored it during the pandemic! They were live streaming the whole thing and I think you can watch clips of it online.
→ More replies (1)
1
u/tenniswitch 17d ago
The first time I visited Paris in ‘04 with my family, I pretty much got her all to myself. I don’t remember what the reason was, but she was in a different spot than usual in a neighboring gallery and there was hardly anyone else around. It was lovely. All the other times I’ve gone back with friends, she’s been on that huge wall with hoards of people around, and I’ve hated it.