Louvre Reveals Architects for $1 Billion Expansion

The Louvre has announced an international team of architects—New York's Selldorf Architects and Studios Architecture Paris—to lead its "Nouvelle Renaissance" expansion, a project estimated to cost over €1 billion ($1.2 billion). The plan, first announced by French President Emmanuel Macron in early 2025, includes a new entrance to accommodate three million additional visitors annually and a dedicated 33,000-square-foot exhibition space for Leonardo da Vinci's *Mona Lisa*. The museum's new director, Christophe Leribault, is moving forward with the project despite significant budget uncertainty, with cost estimates ranging from €270 million to €1.1 billion.

What will the future Louvre museum look like? The architects of the century's construction site have been chosen

À quoi ressemblera le futur musée du Louvre ? Les architectes du chantier du siècle désignés

On May 18, the French Ministry of Culture announced the winner of the international competition for the 'Louvre Nouvelle Renaissance' plan, championed by President Emmanuel Macron in January 2025. The winning consortium, led by Studios Architecture Paris and Selldorf Architects with landscape firm Base, will design a major renovation of the Louvre. The project includes a new entrance on the east side near Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois to relieve congestion at the pyramid, a belvedere overlooking vegetated moats, and a new 3,000-square-meter gallery dedicated to the Mona Lisa. Construction is not expected to begin before 2028.

The Louvre changes: the project chosen to steer the museum into its new Renaissance

Il Louvre cambia: scelto il progetto che traghetterà il museo nel suo nuovo Rinascimento

The Louvre has announced the winners of its "Nouvelle Renaissance" competition, selecting a team led by STUDIOS Architecture Paris, with Selldorf Architects for museography and BASE Landscape Architecture for landscaping. The jury, chaired by Marc Guillaume and composed of 21 experts, chose this proposal from five finalists for its respectful and contemporary approach, which elegantly connects the city, the palace, and the museum while improving visitor flow and security. The project addresses urgent needs including new underground entrances, a dedicated space for Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, enhanced circulation, and green spaces, following a period of difficulty for the museum including a high-profile theft in October.

Le Louvre choisit son entrée côté colonnade

Le Louvre has selected a joint proposal by Studios Architecture Paris and Selldorf Architects for its new entrance via the Perrault colonnade, part of the 'Louvre Nouvelle Renaissance' plan. The project, announced by Emmanuel Macron on January 28, 2025, aims to create a new eastern access to relieve overcrowding at the Pyramid, with two underground entrances, vegetated moats, new services, and a dedicated space for the Mona Lisa. The selection was announced by Culture Minister Catherine Pégard on May 18, despite controversies over funding, heritage constraints, a theft in the Galerie d'Apollon on October 19, 2025, and the departure of museum president Laurence des Cars.

Exhibition catalogs printed in China

Les catalogues d’expositions imprimés en Chine

Le Journal des Arts reports on several developments in the art world: the return of American Rousseau works to Paris, the growing trend of outsourcing museum reception services, the New Museum's expansion, challenges facing the Musée des tissus, and Art Brussels adapting to contemporary trends. These stories cover a range of topics from exhibition logistics to institutional change.

The appalling mediocrity of the chosen project for the 'Grande Colonnade' of the Louvre

L'effarante médiocrité du projet retenu pour la « Grande Colonnade » du Louvre

The French Ministry of Culture has announced the winning team for the 'Grande Colonnade' project at the Louvre, selecting STUDIOS Architecture Paris and Selldorf Architects. The ministry's press release, described as self-congratulatory and written in trendy bureaucratic language, celebrates the choice as a major advancement. However, the article criticizes the lack of transparency, noting that only three exterior visuals have been released, and argues that the project is unfunded and threatens necessary renovations at the museum, as previously highlighted by the Cour des Comptes and parliamentary representatives.