The highest bidder will get the chance to
witness the annual examination of Leonardo da Vinci's
masterpiece, usually only glimpsed over the heads of a crowd
thronging the portrait.
Also among the two dozen lots going under the hammer is an oil
canvas painted in 1962 by Pierre Soulages and held in the
artist's private collection, a bespoke timepiece by watch-maker
Vacheron Constantin, and a walk along the rooftop of the
800-year-old Louvre palace with French street artist JR.
"The Louvre is suffering like all big museums around the world,"
said Yann Le Touher, who handles relations with the Louvre's
patrons.
Each year, the "Mona Lisa", perhaps the world's most famous
painting, is taken down from the wall and removed from its glass
case for a fleeting check. The work, from around 1503, is
threatened by a crack.
Some world leaders are among a fortunate few who have in past
decades witnessed the event.
Auctioneer Christie's hopes the online auction will raise more
than 1 million euros ($1.2 million), including an estimated
10,000-30,000 euros for the "Mona Lisa" experience.
The Louvre received nearly 10 million visitors in 2019, but has
been closed for more than five months this year during two
coronavirus lockdowns. While it was open in the summer, numbers
through the gate were down by as much as 75% during peak months.
Le Touher said the Louvre would lose up to 90 million euros in
revenue this year.
Museums, theatres and cinemas are due to reopen on Dec. 15th if
the virus has slowed sufficiently.
While the Louvre was rich in art and heritage, it was not a
wealthy institution, Le Touher said.
The state is providing 46 million euros to bolster the museum's
coffers, he said. Proceeds from the auction will help finance
the running costs of a new studio for educational projects due
to open next autumn.
(Reporting by Johnny Cotton; Writing by Richard Lough; Editing
by Janet Lawrence)
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