If all goes according to plan, Da Vinci’s masterpiece the Mona Lisa may be the first time leave the museum after 1974 / Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa embarks on a rare tour of France

Leonardo Da Vinci’s masterpiece the Mona Lisa, which has spent nearly all of the past 500 years in Paris, could soon embark on a rare tour of France, the country’s culture minister said.

French Culture Minister Francoise Nyssen told Europe 1 radio she was “seriously considering” the move as part of travelling exhibition of the country’s most prestigious artworks.

“I am meeting with the president of the Louvre this morning and I’m going to discuss the matter again,” Nyssen said, adding that she didn’t see why such works should be kept in the one place.

The painting, whose mysterious smile has long captivated artists and admirers, draws millions of people to the Louvre each year.

But it has rarely ventured outside the museum’s walls, with officials citing concerns for the fragility and security of the painting, which was stolen from the Louvre in 1911, resurfacing only two years later in Florence.