Italy has extended an invitation to temporarily house Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa as concerns over the Louvre Museum’s aging infrastructure escalate, per artnet.com. Francesca Caruso, Lombardy’s regional assessor for culture, took to social media to propose the iconic painting’s return to Italy, stating, “We are ready to welcome her.”
The call comes after a leaked memo from Louvre Director Laurence des Cars revealed the museum’s facilities are in a state of “worrying obsolescence.”
Des Cars warned French Culture Minister Rachida Dati of “no longer watertight” spaces and “temperature variations” that could endanger priceless artworks. The Louvre, the world’s most visited museum, welcomed 8.7 million guests in 2024, but its 12th-century structure is struggling to cope with the strain.
Caruso said Milan was the ideal location for the Mona Lisa, citing Leonardo’s 17-year residency in the city under the patronage of Duke Ludovico Sforza. “Leonardo represents Italian genius,” she told the *Sunday Times of London*.
The Louvre’s challenges are not new. The museum’s iconic glass pyramid and aging galleries require an estimated €900 million ($944 million) in renovations, with €400 million ($419 million) needed just to refurbish the Mona Lisa’s room.
Italy’s appeal adds to a long-standing debate over the painting’s ownership. The Mona Lisa, believed to depict Florentine merchant’s wife Lisa del Giocondo, has been in France since Leonardo’s death in 1519. However, Italians have repeatedly called for its return, most notably after its theft in 1911 by Vincenzo Peruggia, who claimed his actions were patriotic.
As French President Emmanuel Macron prepares to visit the Louvre, the world watches to see if Italy’s proposal will spark a new chapter in the Mona Lisa’s storied history.
- Image: Visitors take pictures of the Mona Lisa by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci at the Louvre museum in Paris on January 23, 2025/Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images
