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Bidder Pays Almost $100,000 to See Mona Lisa Up Close

How much would you pay to see Da Vinci's Mona Lisa up close, without

tourists to block your view? $100? $1,000? More?

One online bidder has offered to pay $98,000 to get a closer look at the

painting when it’s taken out of its case for a yearly inspection.

Visitors normally have to stand about 5 meters from the Mona Lisa, and

also fight their way through a large crowd to get a good view. According to

Forbes, around 30,000 people came to see the painting per day before the

pandemic.

The sale was part of an online auction Bid for the Louvre, organized by the

museum and auction houses Christie's and Hôtel Drouot to help the Louvre

recover from the pandemic.

The museum was closed to the public for several months this year, and

while the auction has earned about $2.9 million in total, the Louvre is

expected to lose around $110 million by the end of the year.

"Everyone has been able to understand the difficulties that the pandemic

has created for cultural institutions, and the Louvre is no exception,"

President of Christie’s France Cécile Verdier said.

Other experiences offered at the auction included a private night tour of

the museum, as well as a walk on the rooftops of the Louvre palace with

French photographer and street artist JR.