Despite this, the moment seemed to transcend a mere labor protest, as the Louvre has become a symbol of the global overtourism phenomenon, overwhelmed by its own popularity.
While tourist destinations like Venice or the Acropolis struggle to limit crowds, the world’s most iconic museum faces its own breaking point.
The spontaneous strike erupted during an internal meeting when gallery attendants, ticket office staff, and security officers refused to take up their posts, protesting against uncontrollable crowds, chronic understaffing, and what a union described as “unsustainable working conditions.”
“It’s the Mona Lisa’s lament out here,” said American Kevin Ward, 62, one of the thousands of visitors stranded in immobile lines under architect I.M. Pei’s glass pyramid, adding, “Thousands of people waiting, with no communication, no explanations. I think even she needs a day off.”
Closing the Louvre to the public is a rare event, having occurred only during wars, the pandemic, and some strikes, including spontaneous shutdowns due to overcrowding in 2019 and safety concerns in 2013.
But rarely has the scene been so chaotic: tourists filling the square, tickets in hand, with no clear explanation for the museum’s sudden closure.
The disruption emerged a few months after President Emmanuel Macron unveiled an ambitious long-term plan to save the Louvre from issues manifesting now, like leaks, dangerous temperature fluctuations, outdated infrastructure, and visitor numbers far exceeding the museum’s capacity.
For workers on the ground, that promised future feels far off.
“We can’t wait six years for help, as our teams are under pressure now. It’s not just about the art — it’s about the people who protect it,” stated Sarah Sefian from the CGT-Culture union.
Central to everything is the Mona Lisa, the 16th-century portrait drawing crowds. About 20,000 people a day squeeze into the Louvre’s largest room, the Salle des États, just to take a ‘selfie’ with Leonardo da Vinci’s enigmatic figure, protected by glass, in a scene often noisy, chaotic, and so dense many barely glance at the masterpieces surrounding it, like those by Titian and Veronese, widely overlooked.
“You don’t see a painting. You see mobile phones. You see elbows. You feel the heat. And then, you’re pushed out,” recounted Ji-Hyun Park, 28, who traveled from Seoul to Paris.
Macron’s renovation plan, dubbed the “New Renaissance of the Louvre,” promises to resolve the issue, giving the Mona Lisa its own room, accessible by timed tickets, with a new entrance by the Seine planned for 2031 to relieve pressure on the main entrance under the pyramid.
“The conditions for display, explanation, and presentation will be worthy of what the Mona Lisa deserves,” Macron stated in January.
Last year, the Louvre welcomed 8.7 million visitors, more than double for which it was designed.
Even with a daily cap of 30,000 visitors, staff say the experience has become a daily endurance test, with few rest areas, insufficient restrooms, and summer heat amplified by the greenhouse effect of the glass pyramid.
In an internal memo released to the press, Louvre President Laurence des Cars warned parts of the building “are no longer watertight,” temperature fluctuations endanger invaluable works, and even visitors’ basic needs — food, restrooms, signage — fall far short of international standards, describing the experience as “a physical ordeal.”
“What began as a monthly information session turned into a collective demonstration of exasperation,” said Sarah Sefian, adding that negotiations between workers and management began at 10:30 and stretched into the afternoon.
The total renovation plan — with an estimated cost of 700 to 800 million euros — is intended to be financed through ticket sales, private donations, state funds, and royalties from the Louvre’s branch in Abu Dhabi, with ticket prices for tourists outside the European Union expected to rise later this year.
However, workers warn that their needs are more urgent than any ten-year plan, and unlike other Parisian landmarks such as Notre-Dame Cathedral or the Pompidou Center, both receiving government-funded restoration works, the Louvre remains at an impasse — neither fully funded nor fully functional.
