Louvre President Steps Down in Wake of €88m Jewellery Heist and Security Failures
The president of the Louvre in Paris, Laurence des Cars, has officially resigned her position, four months after a daring gang of thieves executed a multi-million euro jewellery heist at the world-renowned museum. The resignation follows a damning parliamentary inquiry that described the Louvre as operating like a "state within a state" and uncovered profound systemic security shortcomings.
A Dramatic Daylight Robbery and Its Aftermath
In October, thieves used a furniture lift to break through a window into the museum's Apollo gallery, smashing display cases and stealing €88 million (£76 million) worth of Napoleonic jewellery in just seven minutes before escaping on scooters. This incident stands as France's most dramatic heist in decades. Although four suspects have been arrested and are under investigation, the stolen jewels, including an emerald and diamond necklace gifted by Napoleon I to his second wife, Marie Louise, remain missing.
Des Cars, who was appointed in 2021, had offered to step down immediately after the burglary. She formally tendered her resignation to President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, with the Elysée Palace characterising her decision as "an act of responsibility." Macron's office emphasised that the Louvre, which has faced a series of crises recently, requires "calm and a strong new impetus" to advance critical security and modernisation projects.
Parliamentary Inquiry Reveals Deep-Rooted Problems
The resignation comes shortly after a parliamentary inquiry, chaired by Alexandre Portier, delivered a scathing assessment. Portier stated that the burglary exposed "systemic failures," "a denial of risk," and a management structure that is "currently failing." The inquiry's report highlighted persistent delays in security upgrades, noting that as of 2024, only 39% of the museum's vast rooms—which welcomed over 8.7 million visitors last year—were equipped with CCTV cameras.
An administrative inquiry completed late last year corroborated these findings, pointing to a "chronic, structural underestimation of the risk of intrusion and theft" and "an inadequate level of security measures." Des Cars herself acknowledged a "terrible failure" days after the heist, admitting that security camera coverage of the museum's exterior walls was "highly inadequate" and conceding, "Despite our hard work, we failed."
Ongoing Crises and Internal Unrest
The Louvre's troubles extend beyond the high-profile theft. Earlier this month, police investigating a suspected €10 million (£8.7 million) ticket fraud scheme detained nine individuals, including two museum staff members and several tour guides. This investigation added to the institution's woes as it was still recovering from the October robbery.
Furthermore, trade unions at the Louvre have organised multiple strike days in recent months. Their demands include urgent renovations, increased staffing levels, and protests against ticket price hikes for most non-EU visitors, such as tourists from the UK, the United States, and China. The head of France's state auditor last year described the theft as "a deafening wake-up call" for the "wholly inadequate pace" of security enhancements, urging that these measures "must now be implemented without fail."
The departure of Laurence des Cars marks a pivotal moment for the Louvre as it seeks to address these compounded challenges and restore its reputation as a secure and well-managed global cultural institution.
