That reality sometimes surpasses fiction is evident. However, beyond the cinematographic story that has involved the spectacular robbery of the Louvre, this event has exposed the fragility of the most visited museum in the world.
Last June, the Louvre closed its doors for several hours due to a strike called by museum staff, who denounced “degraded visiting conditions” for the public and the lack of human resources to guarantee security.
“Why hasn’t Minister Rachida Dati listened to your warnings?” Ian Brossat, a French senator and member of the communist party, asked on his X account.
Video | The millionaire robbery at the Louvre (Paris) is a blow to French cultural pride
The Minister of Culture, in turn, charged against those who had preceded him in office, pointing out that “The responsibility is the forty years of neglect on the issue of security“.
Dati, for his part, wanted to insist that since 2022 more than three security audits have been requested and that it is planned to adjust all devices to the established standards, but that takes time because public tender procedures take longer than in the private sector.
The minister also highlighted that The museum in its current structure was not conceived for the number of visitors it receives (8.7 million in 2024) and that it is also not “prepared for new forms of crime.”
But the theft, quick and surgical, did not require cutting-edge technology. Only a forklift, two radials, a pair of yellow vests and seven minutes were enough to reveal the weaknesses of the most guarded museum in France.
In a report not yet published and of which the media Le Figaro has had partial knowledge, the Court of Auditors underlined the The Louvre’s accumulated delay in adapting the museum’s security equipment.
This report was to be published in December, but the extracts from the Court of Auditors’ report on the management of the Louvre have not withstood the media and political torrent that followed the spectacular jewel theft in the Apollo gallery this Sunday.
In it, the Court of Auditors regrets the lack of will of the museum’s management because despite the fact that its operating budget is 323 million euros, the amounts for security are low “in view of the estimated needs.”
An embarrassing report for both the State and the institution, for being particularly severe. Regarding a security element as essential as surveillance cameras, the Court notes a “persistent” delay in the deployment of protective equipment for works of art.
The report coincides with the ambitious Louvre reconstruction plan presented by Emmanuel Macron in January, which promises a “renaissance” of the museum at a cost of close to 800 million euros.
This colossal renovation aims to reinforce security, make a new entrance to decongest the glass pyramid and an exhibition hall dedicated exclusively to the Mona Lisa.
Furthermore, Macron announced that the entrance ticket will be more expensive for non-European visitorswith the ultimate goal of reaching 12 million visitors per year.
In this regard, the Minister of Culture has indicated that 160 million are dedicated to security and “measures have begun to be deployed.”
But, after what happened, this plan seems to take on another purpose: to protect France’s cultural memory before it is put to the test again.
The Minister of Justice, Gérald Darmanin, who for four years was in charge of the Interior Department, acknowledged that “what is certain is that we have failed” since the criminals were able to put a forklift in the middle of the street, use it to go up to the first floor of the Louvre, take jewelry of “incalculable” value, and so on. “give a deplorable image of France”
Thus, Paris, accustomed to living off its artistic myths, now wakes up to the insecurity of the heritage it believed to be invulnerable.
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