The Louvre, home to the Mona Lisa and other iconic works of art in Paris, closed abruptly Monday as the museum's staff staged an impromptu strike over large crowds of tourists and understaffing.

The Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum and a global symbol of art, beauty and endurance, remained shuttered Monday — not by war, not by terror, but by its own exhausted staff, who say the institution is crumbling from within.

A spontaneous strike at the Louvre erupted during a routine internal meeting, as gallery attendants, ticket agents and security personnel refused to take up their posts.