That is crazy! It's got to stop, that tourism nonsense. Raise the tickets to $300, for god's sake.
As for the photograph, would you consider my suggestion: tone significantly down highlights and contrast of all the unwashed masses, turning them into a dark, insignificant, amorphous mass? Or, as a Democrat, you just have to protect the middle class tones? 
It was a madhouse. My wife and I had had enough after about 30 minutes.
Re: the image, it's a great suggestion... I know because I already did that to a large extent
. The guy in the white shirt front and center made it look wrong when I took it too dark, but given some time it might be worth spending some real effort on him. I have another image with different people where the teeming mass is more nondescript, with the added advantage/comment of someone raising their phone right in front of the painting. Unfortunately there are some other technical issues with that one.
In an ideal world though, you're dead on. This would have been a killer image with a tripod and a big ND filter totally blurring the crowd.
And as a Democrat, I only have to pay lip service to the middle class while enjoying elitist things like high art and fancy wine, though I have to say, good wine is really cheap in France.
