Which Paris museum houses the Mona Lisa?

The Louvre houses Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa in Paris. The painting is part of the museum’s permanent collection and is displayed in a protected, climate-controlled enclosure.

Leonardo probably painted the portrait between 1503 and 1506, though he may have continued refining it for years. It is traditionally identified as Lisa del Giocondo, the wife of a Florentine merchant. The Italian name La Gioconda and the French name La Joconde both reflect that association.

King Francis I of France acquired the painting after Leonardo’s death in 1519. It entered the Louvre’s public displays after the French Revolution and has normally been exhibited there since 1797. The painting briefly traveled abroad, including a 1962–1963 tour of the United States.

A common mix-up is confusing the museum with the painting’s creator: the Louvre is the institution that houses the work, while Leonardo da Vinci painted it. Its fame grew dramatically after it was stolen from the Louvre in 1911 and recovered in 1913.