The French government has in the past repeatedly rejected demands to sell the Mona Lisa (pictured), but a parliamentary report has suggested it sell thousands of pieces of art to pay off national debt . Cash-strapped France could sell thousands of artworks to pay off its vast national debt, a parliamentary report has suggested. The radical plan to flog paintings and sculptures from the nation's prized collections was mooted by MPs studying ways help clear France's £150billion deficit. It comes after state-run news channel France 24 last year even suggested selling the Mona Lisa - the world's most famous painting which hangs in the Louvre museum in Paris. Now lawmakers have consulted Guillaume Cerutti, the head of Sotheby's auctioneers in France, for his opinion on the sale of publicly-owned art. He said France should move closer to a model used in the United States, where museums sometimes sell unseen parts of their collections to free up resources for the purchase of more relevant artworks. Cerutti told the BFM news channel: 'Action is needed to tackle the grotesque waste in national collections. In the Louvre alone, some 250,000 works are currently hidden away in overflow rooms. 'Museums should also be given the option of selling works that have been in public collections for at least 50 years.' It would not be the first time France has sold off treasures to prop up its finances. In 2013 the presidential Elysee Palace in Paris announced it was selling 1,000 bottles of fine wine to fund renovations. Last summer, France also said it was selling a luxury state-owned apartment on New York's 5th Avenue for around £40million. In December, the government faced accusations of treason when it announced plans to sell half of Toulouse's airport, the country's fourth largest and home of aircraft maker Airbus, to a Chinese-led consortium. The government has repeatedly rejected demands to sell Leonardo da Vinci's painting the Mona Lisa, which is often called 'priceless' but was valued at £60m in 1962 for insurance purposes. Tourists clamour to see and photograph the Mona Lisa at the Louvre museum in Paris . The Louvre (pictured) stores a vast amount of artwork and is the most visited art museum in the world .
French government is considering selling artworks to pay off its debt .
A parliamentary report has suggesting flogging paintings and sculptures .
Last year the state-run news channel suggested selling the Mona Lisa .
The country has a huge number of publicly-owned pieces of art .
Paris' Louvre museum alone has 250,000 works hidden in storage rooms .
The French government has in the past repeatedly rejected demands to sell the Mona Lisa (pictured), but a parliamentary report has suggested it sell thousands of pieces of art to pay off national debt . Cash-strapped France could sell thousands of artworks to pay off its vast national debt, a parliamentary report has suggested. The radical plan to flog paintings and sculptures from the nation's prized collections was mooted by MPs studying ways help clear France's £150billion deficit. It comes after state-run news channel France 24 last year even suggested selling the Mona Lisa - the world's most famous painting which hangs in the Louvre museum in Paris. Now lawmakers have consulted Guillaume Cerutti, the head of Sotheby's auctioneers in France, for his opinion on the sale of publicly-owned art. He said France should move closer to a model used in the United States, where museums sometimes sell unseen parts of their collections to free up resources for the purchase of more relevant artworks. Cerutti told the BFM news channel: 'Action is needed to tackle the grotesque waste in national collections. In the Louvre alone, some 250,000 works are currently hidden away in overflow rooms. 'Museums should also be given the option of selling works that have been in public collections for at least 50 years.' It would not be the first time France has sold off treasures to prop up its finances. In 2013 the presidential Elysee Palace in Paris announced it was selling 1,000 bottles of fine wine to fund renovations. Last summer, France also said it was selling a luxury state-owned apartment on New York's 5th Avenue for around £40million. In December, the government faced accusations of treason when it announced plans to sell half of Toulouse's airport, the country's fourth largest and home of aircraft maker Airbus, to a Chinese-led consortium. The government has repeatedly rejected demands to sell Leonardo da Vinci's painting the Mona Lisa, which is often called 'priceless' but was valued at £60m in 1962 for insurance purposes. Tourists clamour to see and photograph the Mona Lisa at the Louvre museum in Paris . The Louvre (pictured) stores a vast amount of artwork and is the most visited art museum in the world .
The French government has in the past repeatedly suggested it sell thousands of pieces of art to could sell thousands of artworks to pay off its vast national debt, a parliamentary report has state-run news channel France 24 last year even suggested selling the Mona Lisa - the world's the Louvre alone, some 250,000 works are and photograph the Mona Lisa at the Louvre museum