SECURITY UNDER SCRUTINY
Ms des Vehicles, who has led the Louvre since 2021, will seem earlier than the Senate’s tradition committee on Wednesday afternoon to reply questions in regards to the museum’s safety protocols.
A report by France’s Court docket of Auditors, seen by AFP, highlighted a “persistent delay” in safety upgrades between 2019 and 2024, noting that solely 1 / 4 of 1 wing was underneath video surveillance.
In a letter to Tradition Minister Rachida Dati in January, Ms des Vehicles had warned of a “worrying degree of obsolescence” on the museum and known as for pressing renovations.
Responding to criticism, the Louvre stated the show instances defending the jewels had been put in in 2019 and “represented a substantial enchancment when it comes to safety.”
PATTERN OF MUSEUM THEFTS ACROSS FRANCE
The Louvre heist follows a spate of high-profile robberies at French museums. Final month, criminals stole gold nuggets value greater than US$1.5 million from Paris’s Pure Historical past Museum. On Tuesday, authorities confirmed a 24-year-old Chinese language girl was arrested in Barcelona whereas making an attempt to promote almost a kilogram of melted gold linked to that case.
Thieves additionally took two dishes and a vase valued at about US$7.6 million from a museum in Limoges.
“Museums are more and more focused for the precious works they maintain,” stated France’s Central Workplace for the Struggle in opposition to Trafficking in Cultural Property.
Labour unions have blamed repeated funds and staffing cuts for leaving main cultural establishments susceptible. “We can not do with out bodily surveillance,” a union official stated, noting that customer numbers on the Louvre — dwelling to masterpieces just like the Mona Lisa — have soared whilst safety staffing has declined.
