Louvre president resigns as jewellery heist inquiry reveals ‘systemic failures’
The Guardian • • general
Key Points:
- Laurence des Cars, president of the Louvre, resigned four months after a high-profile heist in which thieves stole €88m worth of Napoleonic jewellery from the museum’s Apollo gallery.
- The theft involved a gang using a furniture lift to break in, stealing eight valuable items including historic necklaces and a diadem, with four suspects arrested but the jewels not yet recovered.
- The resignation followed criticism from a parliamentary inquiry that described systemic security failures and management shortcomings at the Louvre, calling it a “state within a state.”
- The museum has faced ongoing issues including strikes over staffing and renovations, a recent ticket fraud investigation, and slow security upgrades, with only 39% of rooms equipped with CCTV as of 2024.
