The presidential campaign in France is heating up ahead of April's general election.

Marine Le Pen, the candidate of the right-wing Rassemblement National (RN) - formerly Front National - launched her election campaign on Saturday with a video shot in front of the Louvre Museum.

The art museum with Leonardo da Vinci's world-famous painting of the Mona Lisa then complained about Le Pen's location directly in front of the glass pyramid and claims that the politician recorded the clip in front of its premises without permission.

The video, which aired on Saturday and can be seen on her party's website, is titled "The Louvre Declaration".

It shows 53-year-old Le Pen in front of the museum and is a reference to President Emmanuel Macron's 2017 victory speech that took place at the same location.

The video was recorded on Jan. 11, "without any permission, in violation of the rules of the law that applies to the public domain and intellectual property," a spokeswoman for the museum told Bloomberg when asked.

The newspaper Le Parisien, which first reported on the incident, also quotes an internal source at the museum as saying that it belongs to the French as a whole.

And further: “We cannot be the identity of a party or a claim.

In her clip, Marine Le Pen claims the image of the Louvre as her own.” A spokeswoman for Le Pen, on the other hand, said that according to the Louvre's rules, a permit is not required if a video is not shot for commercial purposes.

"Architectural Gem" and "Mythical Place"

In the video, Le Pen describes the Louvre as an "architectural gem" that is the result of the work of French kings like Henry IV, a "mythical place" that exemplifies the country's "continuity". Then she criticizes Macron's "absurd handling of the constant crises" and the numerous shortcomings that his government has. Le Pen pledged to rule with an iron fist if elected and to "end the compulsions of Macronism". Macron is toxic for the country.

Le Pen, who lost the 2017 presidential campaign to Macron, and members of her team were informed by museum directors while on the Louvre grounds that the filming would require prior approval, according to a statement obtained by Bloomberg. The art museum also announced that it would consider "follow-up actions that might be given regarding the terms of the filming and distribution of this video."

Jean-Philippe Tanguy, Marine Le Pen's deputy campaign manager, contradicted the museum's representations in "Le Parisien". There is a difference of opinion with the management of the institution about what falls under the "right of use that everyone is entitled to". However, he pointed out that “if the Louvre management were to publish what Emmanuel Macron agreed and billed for occupying the Esplanade with a monumental use of the pyramid as a giant meeting, that would shed light on the debate.”

It's not the first time the Louvre has faced such an incident.

The pyramid also appears in Éric Zemmour's video announcement of his participation in the presidential campaign.

The museum then asked him to remove the glass monument from the clip.

In the event of a refusal, the candidate of the right-wing Reconquete party must expect criminal prosecution.

The same applies to Marine Le Pen, it said.