will soon have its own dedicated gallery at the Louvre, but visitors will need to pay an additional fee to view the painting, according to Laurence des Cars, director of the museum.The change is part of an €800 million renovation plan for the Paris museum, expected to be completed by 2031, as per a report by The Times. The new 3,000 square metre space is being developed to ease crowding and improve the visitor experience. The Louvre currently attracts millions of visitors annually, with many gathering around the Mona Lisa, causing congestion and long waiting times. “The new gallery will allow visitors not only to contemplate the Mona Lisa — a complicated task at the moment — but also to understand her through other displays on her history,” Des Cars said in an interview with Le Figaro.

To visit the Mona Lisa gallery, visitors will need to buy a separate ticket in addition to the standard museum entry. The ticket price has not yet been announced.

For general admission, non-European Union (EU) citizens will be charged €30, while EU visitors will pay €22. It is unclear whether the Mona Lisa supplement will follow the same pricing structure.

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The Louvre, which saw 8.7 million visitors last year, has been struggling with overcrowding. On Monday, museum staff went on strike without notice, citing the overwhelming number of tourists as a key concern.

According to The Times report, President Emmanuel Macron had earlier announced the major overhaul, which includes opening new entrances and upgrading the aging building. The renovation has now been approved by France’s National Commission of Heritage and Architecture, clearing the way for architectural submissions. The design competition for the “Nouveau Louvre” opens on June 27.The Louvre hopes to raise €20 million from the additional charges applied to non-EU visitors. The funds will support renovation works and aim to enhance the overall visitor experience.