Culture News

Louvre picks the architects for its new eastern entrance and a Mona Lisa path

The Louvre has chosen Studios Architecture Paris, led by James Cowey, and New York's Selldorf Architects, founded by Annabelle Selldorf in 1988, to redesign its eastern side, the Italian art site Finestre sull'Arte reported on May 18. The pair won the international “Grande Colonnade” competition, part of the “Louvre Nouvelle Renaissance” plan launched by President Emmanuel Macron in early 2025. Culture Minister Catherine Pégard announced the result.

The jury, chaired by Paris prefect Marc Guillaume with Louvre director Christophe Leribault as vice-president, met on May 13 and reviewed five finalist groups. The design creates a path from the bell tower opposite the Louvre to a new entrance in front of the Colonnade. Two sloping ramps lead down to the moats, which become green spaces, and two underground entrances sit on either side between the Seine and rue de Rivoli. The plan also includes a path dedicated to the Mona Lisa, meant to ease today's overcrowding. A consultation with staff, the city and the public is due in the coming months.

Days earlier, Artnet, in a report republished by Australia's CAMD, said the Apollo Gallery, the scene of the October 2025 jewel heist, would reopen in July without its display cases, which move to the Richelieu wing.

“The Louvre is entering a period of transformation” — Christophe Leribault, via Artnet

How each outlet framed it

• Finestre sull'Arte — the architecture: ramps, moats, entrances and the jury.
• Artnet — the new director's vision after the heist, starting with the Apollo Gallery.

What happened next: On June 17, Leribault told the French Senate's culture committee that “the Louvre is on its last legs”, Finestre sull'Arte reported, putting the total plan at over €1bn, a figure the Court of Auditors calls an underestimate.