Mona Lisa Smiles

In June 2007 (the start date of the project), when “Mona Lisa” was Googled, 283 000 images were found . These links are evidence of her presence as a cultural phenomenon. Despite her age and relevance to our specific culture, more people pilgrimage to see her today than any other single painting. In this she is powerful, and she has become a mass culture destination, like Paris itself. The Louvre actively promotes this cause and provides signs when you are there which help you find this mythic square as quickly as possible.  Once there, you will not have the artist’s intended audience experience but something that could never have been foreseen. The sticker project aids the Louvre; in letting art pilgrims know what direction they should go to find her, even when they are not in the museum. As the sign also confronts her audience in unexpected locations, it reminds us that she is in our lives with or without the pilgrimage. Running into a directional sticker of her and contemplating her image in a strange environment or the context of another museum gives the viewer a more genuine art experience than the carnival ride on the museum offers. The general public is also invited to download a sticker and place it in their ideal locations, enhancing their experience even more