Looking for an Airbnb for your upcoming Parisian get-away? Maybe a little flat near Notre Dame or a private room in Montmartre? How about the Louvre? Yeah, as in the Louvre with the Mona Lisa. In fact, why don’t you let the Mona Lisa be your host for the evening?
The Louvre is partnering up with Airbnb to offer a once in a lifetime opportunity for a pair of lucky guests. On the night of April 30th, the winners of the incredible chance to stay in the museum will enjoy dinner and drinks in the company of Michelangelo’s treasured painting as well as the Venus de Milo. The Louvre’s guest will then have the chance to view the Mona Lisa, and many other works of art, without the hustle and bustle of the crowds of visitors vying for the best glimpse of all of the significant paintings housed at the museum. They’ll do so on an after-hours tour from one of the Louvre’s VIP guides – an experience usually reserved for presidents and celebrities. They’ll also get to hang out in Napoleon III’s rococo salon to enjoy an ‘intimate acoustic concert’ before heading off to bed. Their accommodations will be a frosted-glass pyramid-shaped room built to mimic the iconic pyramid entrance created by Chinese-American artist I. M. Pei. The room will be beneath the glass pyramid in the Louvre’s main entrance. While the guests won’t get to wonder around the museum at their own leisure, they’ll get to enjoy certain portions of the museum in an unprecedented manner.
‘We know that many people would love the opportunity to wander alone at night through the Louvre and we want this to be a magical and unforgettable experience,’ says Anne-Laure Béatrix, deputy managing director of the Louvre.
The Louvre has worked with Airbnb to create this experience to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the opening of Pei’s iconic pyramid. This won’t be the only event, either. This is the first happening in a larger series to be put on within the partnership. Starting in May, the Louvre and Airbnb will be offering ‘intimate gigs’ and ‘exclusive visits’ to lucky guests through the end of the year.
This is one of the ways in which the museum is making an effort to reach new audiences and keep up with the times. It also comes at a time when the museum is on an record-breaking attendance high after drawing in 10 million guests in 2018, much in part due to Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s music video, ‘Apes**t,’ which was shot throughout the museum, and a massive Delacroix survey.
You can enter your name into the drawing until April 12th here. Perhaps you and one of your best friends could live out your Beyoncé dreams having the museum to yourselves for a night?
