Travelers hoping to experience a special exhibition commemorating the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci's death at the Louvre this coming fall will need to make reservations in advance.
According to the New York Times, the exhibit is slated to open October 24 and continue through February 24, 2020.
The popular Paris museum-which drew a record 10.2 million visitors in 2018-will begin offering specific time slots through its online booking service on June 18. Even visitors who qualify for free entry will have to make a reservation. Adult tickets will cost about $19 (17 euros).
In an interview with Agence France-Presse, the Louvre's president, Jean-Luc Martinez, said reservations were necessary "because we must stop judging the success of an exhibition by the number of hours waiting outdoors."
"What's important to me is to improve the encounter with the works of Leonardo," he added.
The reservations are expected to help keep lines under control and limit wait times to about 30 minutes.
The Louvre boasts more Leonardo paintings than anywhere else in the world. However, it's unclear whether the exhibition will include "Salvator Mundi," a painting of Jesus Christ attributed to da Vinci that was sold for over $450 million at auction in 2017, according to the Times.
It also remains to be seen whether Italian authorities will lend some state-owned da Vinci works to the museum for the commemorative exhibition.
Thursday marks the 500th anniversary of da Vinci's death in central France.
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