“I hate to be a pessimist, but this is the reality: in the best case, the number of visitors will be at the level of 20-30 percent compared to doverennym period. This means that instead of the usual 40 thousand people per day we will take from eight to ten thousand”, – said the Director. In any case, the loss of the Louvre, according to estimates by Jean-Luc Martinez, has already amounted to 40 million euros. This unsold tickets, and unrealized revenue of boutiques with Souvenirs, “special” art books, Museum cafes and restaurants. The budget of the Louvre, which is about 240-250 million euros, 40 percent state subsidies and actual income of the Museum, which this year, alas, will be much less.
How the administration of the Louvre intends to act in the coming months? The emphasis is on local people and neighbours from the countries belonging to the EU, with whom the borders are already open. Therefore, the Museum actively campaign, inviting me to visit the Parisians, residents of neighboring departments and the capital region Ile-de-France. To what result will this cry, it is hard to say.
In any case, mandatory booking of tickets on Internet (specifying the day and hour) is not very encouraging. By the end of June, wish to visit the Museum in the coming weeks was only 12 thousand. However, at the Louvre explained that with the modest turnout, it will be possible to buy a ticket on the spot. Although most of the staff of the Museum in the days of the quarantine worked on remote, from 250 to 300 people in shifts were in the Louvre, preparing him to the current opening. However, as warned of the Museum administration, a number of rooms will remain unavailable. Basically we are talking about those exhibiting a painting of the Northern European countries, the collection period before the great French revolution of 1789 – only about 30 percent of the Museum space.
to protect visitors, the Museum has taken a number of preventive measures. Medical mask, of course, binding. Already at the entrance, and unlike the previous times to get to the Louvre only through the famous glass pyramid, all issued special brochures. There are marked trails, designed to help people who are dealing neither in the halls nor in the corridors. For Dating Giocondo exhibited in the hall of the States, now we have to go in the great maze of struts connected by taut bands, such as those installed in airports before the stands for registration. On the one hand, it allows to preserve social distance, on the other, which is a definite plus, to avoid the usual crowding at the creations of Leonardo da Vinci and fulfilling to witness. By the way, there is a silver lining. After all, art lovers now is the best time: the halls of the Louvre with paintings by French, Italian, Spanish classics aliveinventory, art of the Middle ages and other treasures will long be half-empty. According to Jean-Luc Martinez, the Museum jointly with the Ministry of culture is working on plans for the conversion, which in particular, envisages the expansion of the website of the Louvre, the translation in the “figure” of all his collections. This resource has proven very effective in quarantine months, registering more than 10 million “virtual visits”.
