The world’s most-visited museum shuts down with staff sounding the alarm
on mass tourism
[June 17, 2025]
By THOMAS ADAMSON
PARIS (AP) — The Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum and a global
symbol of art, beauty and endurance, has withstood war, terror, and
pandemic — but on Monday, it was brought to a halt by its own striking
staff, who say the institution is crumbling under the weight of mass
tourism.
It was an almost unthinkable sight: the home to works by Leonardo da
Vinci and millennia of civilization’s greatest treasures — paralyzed by
the very people tasked with welcoming the world to its galleries.
Thousands of stranded and confused visitors, tickets in hand, were
corralled into unmoving lines by I.M. Pei's glass pyramid.
“It’s the Mona Lisa moan out here,” said Kevin Ward, 62, from Milwaukee.
“Thousands of people waiting, no communication, no explanation. I guess
even she needs a day off.”
The Louvre has become a symbol of tourism pushed to its limits. As
hotspots from Venice to the Acropolis race to curb crowds, the world’s
most iconic museum, visited by millions, is hitting a breaking point of
its own.
Just a day earlier, coordinated anti-tourism protests swept across
southern Europe. Thousands rallied in Mallorca, Venice, Lisbon and
beyond, denouncing an economic model they say displaces locals and
erodes city life. In Barcelona, activists sprayed tourists with water
pistols — a theatrical bid to “cool down” runaway tourism.
The Louvre's spontaneous strike erupted during a routine internal
meeting, as gallery attendants, ticket agents and security personnel
refused to take up their posts in protest over unmanageable crowds,
chronic understaffing and what one union called “untenable” working
conditions.
It’s rare for the Louvre to close its doors. It has happened during war,
during the pandemic, and in a handful of strikes — including spontaneous
walkouts over overcrowding in 2019 and safety fears in 2013. But seldom
has it happened so suddenly, without warning, and in full view of the
crowds.
What's more, the disruption comes just months after President Emmanuel
Macron unveiled a sweeping decade-long plan to rescue the Louvre from
precisely the problems now boiling over — water leaks, dangerous
temperature swings, outdated infrastructure, and foot traffic far beyond
what the museum can handle.
But for workers on the ground, that promised future feels distant.
“We can’t wait six years for help,” said Sarah Sefian, a front-of-house
gallery attendant and visitor services agent. “Our teams are under
pressure now. It’s not just about the art — it’s about the people
protecting it.”
The Mona Lisa’s daily mob
At the center of it all is the Mona Lisa — a 16th-century portrait that
draws modern-day crowds more akin to a celebrity meet-and-greet than an
art experience.
Roughly 20,000 people a day squeeze into the Salle des États, the
museum’s largest room, just to snap a selfie with Leonardo da Vinci’s
enigmatic woman behind protective glass. The scene is often noisy,
jostling, and so dense that many barely glance at the masterpieces
flanking her — works by Titian and Veronese that go largely ignored.
“You don’t see a painting,” said Ji-Hyun Park, 28, who flew from Seoul
to Paris. “You see phones. You see elbows. You feel heat. And then,
you’re pushed out.”
Macron’s renovation blueprint, dubbed the “Louvre New Renaissance,”
promises a remedy. The Mona Lisa will finally get her own dedicated
room, accessible through a timed-entry ticket. A new entrance near the
Seine River is also planned by 2031 to relieve pressure from the
overwhelmed pyramid hub.
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 “Conditions of display, explanation
and presentation will be up to what the Mona Lisa deserves,” Macron
said in January.
But Louvre workers call Macron hypocritical and say the 700 million
to 800 million-euro ($730 million to $834 million) renovation plan
masks a deeper crisis. While Macron is investing in new entrances
and exhibition space, the Louvre’s annual operating subsidies from
the French state have shrunk by more than 20% over the past decade —
even as visitor numbers soared.
“We take it very badly that Monsieur Le President makes his speeches
here in our museum,” Sefian said, “but when you scratch the surface,
the financial investment of the state is getting worse with each
passing year.”
While many striking staff plan to remain off duty all day, Sefian
said some workers may return temporarily to open a limited
“masterpiece route” for a couple of hours, allowing access to select
highlights including the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo. The full
museum might reopen as normal on Wednesday, and some tourists with
time-sensitive tickets for Monday may be allowed to reuse them then.
On Tuesday the Louvre is closed.
A museum in limbo
The Louvre welcomed 8.7 million visitors last year — more than
double what its infrastructure was designed to accommodate. Even
with a daily cap of 30,000, staff say the experience has become a
daily test of endurance, with too few rest areas, limited bathrooms,
and summer heat magnified by the pyramid’s greenhouse effect.
In a leaked memo, Louvre President Laurence des Cars warned that
parts of the building are “no longer watertight,” that temperature
fluctuations endanger priceless art, and that even basic visitor
needs — food, restrooms, signage — fall far below international
standards. She described the experience simply as “a physical
ordeal.”
“What began as a scheduled monthly information session turned into a
mass expression of exasperation,” Sefian said. Talks between workers
and management began at 10:30 a.m. and continued into the afternoon.
The full renovation plan is expected to be financed through ticket
revenue, private donations, state funds, and licensing fees from the
Louvre’s Abu Dhabi branch. Ticket prices for non-EU tourists are
expected to rise later this year.
But workers say their needs are more urgent than any 10-year plan.
Unlike other major sites in Paris, such as Notre Dame cathedral or
the Centre Pompidou museum, both of which are undergoing
government-backed restorations, the Louvre remains stuck in limbo —
neither fully funded nor fully functional.
President Macron, who delivered his 2017 election victory speech at
the Louvre and showcased it during the 2024 Paris Olympics, has
promised a safer, more modern museum by the end of the decade.
Until then, France’s greatest cultural treasure — and the millions
who flock to see it — remain caught between the cracks.
___
Associated Press journalist Laurie Kellman in Paris contributed to
this report.
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