Arts & Entertainment

Louvre sets sights on seducing Parisian punters

By Marta Garde

Paris, Jun 24 (efe-epa).- The Louvre museum in Paris has launched its vision to reopen on 6 July with a commitment to offering a more friendly and accessible experience for a mainly local audience.

The coronavirus health crisis has pushed the institution to redirect its focus given that 75 percent of regular visitors were foreigners, with Americans and Chinese tourists topping the list.

The massive drop in international arrivals will have a dramatic effect on the Louvres’ rooms, which during the summer were used to hosting a million visitors a month.

“It is time to come and see the Louvre with fewer visitors,” director Jean-Luc Martinez told reporters at the presentation.

The Louvre closed its doors on 13 March, four days before the French government enforced a nationwide lockdown, and has used this period to prepare the museum’s spaces and to rethink the role of the gallery.

The use of face masks will be mandatory for children over the age of 11 and all adults and visitors will have to reserve tickets and time slots in advance.

Punters will be guided by arrows on the floor that guide the trails within the gallery and in the most iconic rooms, such as the one harboring the Monalisa, people will have to continue on the specified routes and not backtrack to keep flows of visitors within approved limits.

The museum will reopen 70 percent of its rooms, but the vastness of its collection means the number of artworks that will be exhibited is still overwhelming.

For example, punters will delight in the rooms devoted to modern sculpture showcasing over 30,000 works from the Medieval, Renaissance, and Modern periods across 45,000 square meters.

Related Articles

Back to top button