Twenty-four reproductions of masterpieces from the Louvre Museum have been installed at the Alma shopping center in Rennes, France, creating an unexpected cultural oasis in a commercial setting. The exhibition, which opened Tuesday, September 9, 2025, and runs through Wednesday, September 17, 2025, caught many shoppers by surprise as they discovered world-famous artworks during their routine visits.
"Look, there's the Mona Lisa!" exclaimed one visitor as the exhibition opened its doors Tuesday morning. Another shopper expressed her amazement, saying, "I wasn't aware of this. It's really a nice initiative. You don't necessarily expect this in a shopping mall." The artworks were installed overnight between Monday, September 8, and Tuesday, September 9, 2025, transforming the shopping center's Fountain Square into an impromptu gallery.
The exhibition is the result of a partnership between Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, the group that owns the Alma shopping center, and the world's most famous museum. Special structures mimicking the Louvre's distinctive architecture have been erected to house these remarkable reproductions. "The goal is to bring culture to everyone, to introduce the museum to people who don't usually go there," explains Nathalie Taillandier, director of Alma, while acknowledging the dual purpose of attracting visitors to the shopping center. "But at the same time, people can very well come to discover the exhibition without having to consume anything."
The operation is called "Le Louvre au centre" (The Louvre in the Center), but the exhibition itself is titled "J'habite au musée" (I Live in the Museum). According to Cathy Losson, project manager at the Louvre Museum, "In the exhibition, there are only paintings with characters. They all belong to the museum. To bring visitors closer to this world, the descriptions of each work have been reworked and written in the first person to capture their attention."
Beyond the life-sized Mona Lisa, visitors can discover an impressive array of masterpieces including the Venus de Milo, Balthazar Castiglione, The Jester with a Lute, Portrait of a Black Woman, The Seated Scribe, and the Borghese Gladiator. "What's interesting is that you can get very close to the works and see the smallest details, like the cracks in the paint," notes Cathy Losson. This proximity offers viewers an intimate experience with art that might be difficult to achieve in the crowded halls of the actual Louvre.
The exhibition goes beyond static displays, offering a full range of interactive activities for visitors of all ages. Daily guided tours are conducted by several mediators who share not only the history of the artworks but also fascinating anecdotes surrounding them, such as the famous theft of the Mona Lisa. A tactile table allows visitors to touch statuettes and experience their original materials firsthand.
Technology plays a significant role in enhancing the visitor experience. An artificial intelligence-powered photo booth enables guests to transform themselves into characters from the displayed paintings, creating personalized souvenirs of their visit. More traditional entertainment options include a foosball table and a special "Guess Who?" game featuring the most famous characters from the Louvre's collection.
The cultural experience extends beyond the shopping center through collaboration with the Rennes Museum of Fine Arts, which is also participating in this adventure by displaying Louvre works deposited in its collections. The museum provides virtual reality headsets that allow visitors to handle a cat mummy. "Through different visions in the virtual reality headset and various research work conducted, visitors will surely be surprised by what they see," reveals Odile Hays, cultural mediator at the Breton museum.
The free exhibition is accessible during the shopping center's regular opening hours, making high culture readily available to the general public. This innovative approach to museum outreach demonstrates how cultural institutions are finding creative ways to reach new audiences and make art more accessible to communities that might not otherwise have the opportunity to experience such masterpieces up close.
