French president Emmanuel Macron has announced a major renovation of the Muse du Louvre in Paris, which will add a second entrance and dedicated exhibition space for the Mona Lisa.Named the New Renaissance project, the major renovation of the world's most visited museum was announced by Macron during a visit there earlier this week.According to the French president, an international competition will be launched to find a team to carry out the work.New entrance to be added to eastern facadeProposed to increase the capacity of the Muse du Louvre, the renovation will be the largest update to the building since IM Pei reorganised the attraction and added the landmark glass and steel pyramid in the museum's courtyard in 1989.According to a leaked letter by Muse du Louvre director Laurence des Cars, publishedby Le Parisien newspaper, the entrance under the pyramid is now "structurally unable to cope" with visitor numbers. At the time the building was designed for four million visitors, while last year over eight million people visited the museum.The planned work would increase the capacity to around 13 million annual visitors.Read: IM Pei's Grand Louvre receives AIA 25-year awardAs part of the works outlined by Macron, a "new grand entrance" will be created in the museum's classical eastern facade the opposite side of the building to the pyramid, which is currently the main entrance.This will connect directly to a series of underground galleries built under Cour Carr the courtyard at the centre of the museum.Louvre "will become the epicenter of art history"A dedicated exhibition space for the Mona Lisa, described as its own "special space", will be created to improve the viewing experience and reduce crowding. French newspaper Le Monde reported that this space would be "independently accessible compared to the rest of the museum"."The redesigned Louvre, restored and expanded, will become the epicenter of art history for our country and beyond," said Macron, reported the Associated Press.Although few details have been made public, the renovation is expected to cost around 800 million and complete in 2031.Largely built in French Renaissance style during the 16th and 17th centuries, the palace became home to the royal collection after Louis XIV moved the official royal residence to Versailles. It became a public museum at the end of the 18th century.The photo is via Shutterstock.The post "New grand entrance" to be added to Muse du Louvre in biggest renovation for 35 years appeared first on Dezeen.