The security of the Apollo Gallery at the Louvre Museum, which witnessed the theft of historical jewels on October 19, was not reported to the administration “as a point to be monitored”, the museum’s president said on Monday (first).
“For me, the case of the Apollo exhibition was closed,” Laurence de Carre told Le Parisien. Upon taking office at the end of 2021, “I was told that if there was one thing we could feel completely comfortable with, it was the crown jewels,” with “three solid new storefronts” installed during the 2018-19 renovations. “This file has not been set for me to monitor.”
Le Monde newspaper revealed that a review of the museum by jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels in 2018 accurately described the potential flaw represented by the counter used by the thieves to steal the jewels in October.
“I discovered this audit on October 23, four days after the theft, after requesting a report on all the interventions carried out over the past 25 years at the Apollo exhibition,” De Cars told Le Parisien newspaper.
The jewelry is still missing, but the director said she was optimistic about the outcome of the investigation. Now, taking a more distant look at the issue, “it is clear that structural weaknesses remain.” “I understand that this raises questions,” he also admitted, explaining that he had to address “many other urgent files” when he took office, in an institution in poor condition.
At the beginning of November, the country’s Court of Accounts considered that the most visited museum in the world “prioritized visual and attractive operations” at the expense of security.
Lawrence De Cars announced in November the installation of 100 cameras around the museum by the end of 2026 and the strengthening of the national police to protect the museum during crowded periods.
To fund its modernization, the Louvre’s board of directors on Thursday approved a 45% increase in the admission price for non-European visitors, which will increase its value to 32 euros (200 Brazilian reais) from 2026.
“International visitors, especially Americans, who are the main nationality (of foreign visitors), are very aware that they are contributing to the protection of world heritage. It is a way to help the Louvre,” Des Cars said on Monday.