Which Paris museum houses Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa?

The Paris museum that houses Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is the Louvre.

The painting, also known as La Gioconda, is displayed in the Louvre’s Department of Paintings in Paris. It is a portrait traditionally identified as Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Florentine merchant Francesco del Giocondo. Leonardo worked on it over several years, probably beginning around 1503, and may have continued refining it late in his life.

The Mona Lisa entered the French royal collection after Leonardo brought it to France. King Francis I acquired it after the artist’s death in 1519, and it eventually became part of the collections that formed the Louvre Museum. It is painted in oil on a poplar panel and is relatively small, measuring about 77 by 53 centimetres.

The work’s fame grew dramatically after it was stolen from the Louvre in 1911. It returned in 1914 and is now protected behind specialized glass, with controlled conditions and heavy visitor demand. The Rijksmuseum, Uffizi and Prado hold major masterpieces, but not this painting.