Louvre Director Resigns After Crown Jewels Heist Shakes Museum

The director of the Louvre Museum, Laurence des Cars, has resigned months after a high-profile theft of France’s crown jewels stunned the art world. She submitted her resignation to Emmanuel Macron, who said the museum now needed “calm and a strong new impetus” to move forward with major security and modernisation projects.

The brazen raid took place on 19 October, when thieves used a stolen vehicle-mounted mechanical lift to access a balcony near the River Seine and break into the museum’s Gallery of Apollo. While four suspects have been arrested, eight pieces of jewellery worth an estimated €88 million remain missing. Among the stolen items were historic jewels, including pieces linked to Napoleon, while a 19th-century diamond-studded crown belonging to Empress Eugénie was dropped during the escape and damaged, though officials say it can be fully restored.

In the aftermath, des Cars acknowledged that perimeter CCTV systems were weak and outdated, with critical blind spots near the point of entry. A parliamentary inquiry is now investigating what a preliminary report described as “systemic failures” that enabled the break-in. The museum, which attracts more than 8.7 million visitors annually and houses masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa, has also recently faced a suspected ticket fraud scheme and infrastructure issues, adding to the challenges confronting its leadership.

Pic courtesy: google/ images are subject to copyright