France will launch a six-year renovation of the Louvre in Paris, enlarging the world's most-visited museum to make room for the huge crowds who now cram inside the palace on the banks of the Seine, President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to expand the Louvre, and move the Mona Lisa to a new exhibition space, after the museum warned of overcrowding.

A leaked memo from a Louvre director has sparked calls from an Italian official to return the Mona Lisa to Italy. As President Macron announces a major renovation of the 230-year-old museum, including a new entrance and a dedicated space for the famous painting,