“Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa may be one of the most beloved artworks in the world. “
Seen it up close and personal and it’s a meh. There are probably at least 1,000 other paintings I like better.
I saw it at the Met in the mid 60's. It was unprotected, save for a velvet rope and one guard, on an easel about ten feet behind the rope. I was the only person, besides the guard, in the room. (Can't get more "up close and personal" than that!)
I've also seen it a couple of times at the Louvre, most recently in 2016. There I thought the most interesting thing was the gaggle of people trying to get a glimpse of the painting or to take a selfie with it while hardly any paid any attention to the several other daVinci's hanging nearby.
ML/NJ