Louvre Director Resigns After Heist
Laurence des Cars resigned as director of the Louvre Museum amid scandals involving a high-profile jewels heist and alleged ticket fraud. French President Emmanuel Macron accepted her resignation, calling it "an act of responsibility" as the institution faces urgent needs for security upgrades. The "heist of the century" occurred last October and spotlighted vulnerabilities in museum security systems.
- The October 2025 jewel heist involved the theft of eight pieces of the French Crown Jewels, valued at an estimated €88 million ($102 million). The thieves, disguised as construction workers, completed the robbery in less than eight minutes during the museum's regular opening hours. - Among the stolen items were a sapphire set belonging to Queen Marie-Amélie, an emerald necklace and earrings from Empress Marie Louise's collection, and a pearl tiara and brooch that belonged to Empress Eugénie. - The separate ticket fraud investigation uncovered a decade-long scheme that allegedly cost the museum more than €10 million ($11.8 million) by reusing tickets to admit large tour groups. Nine people were arrested in connection with the fraud, including two Louvre employees and several tour guides. - A court of auditors report issued before the heist had urged the Louvre to speed up its security modernization, stating that the museum had prioritized buying new art over maintaining its security systems. A 2014 audit had also warned about serious security flaws, such as the use of "Louvre" as a password for the surveillance system. - In response to the theft, the museum has launched an €80 million security overhaul which includes adding 100 new surveillance cameras, creating a new "security coordinator" position, and establishing a police station on the museum's grounds. - Laurence des Cars was appointed as the first female director in the Louvre's 230-year history in 2021. Previously, she was the director of the Musée d'Orsay and the scientific director for the Louvre Abu Dhabi project. - During her tenure at the Musée d'Orsay, des Cars was lauded for the critically acclaimed 2019 exhibition, “Black Models: From Géricault to Matisse,” and for initiating the restitution of a Gustav Klimt painting to the heirs of a Jewish family who had been forced to sell it.
