Theft “deeply shocked” museum staff, French citizens and “all those who love the Louvre”, says director of the most visited museum in the world
There were no security cameras monitoring the second-floor balcony where thieves entered the Louvre to steal historical jewels worth more than $100 million, the museum’s director confirmed at a French Senate hearing.
Laurence des Cars told senators that the eastern balcony of the Apollo Gallery, where thieves entered the building on Sunday with an angle grinder, was not covered by the museum’s camera system.
“Unfortunately, on the Apolo Gallery side, the only installed camera faces west and therefore does not cover the balcony affected by the robbery,” Des Cars declared at the hearing, as French investigators strive to recover the stolen jewels.
Four days after the robbery, investigators have not yet publicly identified any suspects, with experts warning that the jewelry could be dismantled to use the raw materials, destroying artifacts that date back to the Napoleonic era.
The ease with which thieves gained access to the building – during opening hours, via a ladder mounted on a truck – shocked the nation and raised questions about the vulnerability of the country’s museums to criminals using new tactics.
Des Cars told the hearing that the “absolutely obsolete, or even non-existent, technical infrastructure” for monitoring the country’s most valuable treasures was a “terrible observation” for the world’s largest museum. Laurence des Cars submitted her resignation to the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, after the robbery, but was rejected.
Laurence des Cars, president and director of the Louvre Museum, before the start of a hearing in Paris, France, on Wednesday. Associated Press
Des Cars, who took office in 2021, said the museum’s weakness lies in the lack of perimeter protection, which he considered to be the result of “chronic underinvestment in equipment and infrastructure”.
The Louvre’s last major renovation was in the 1980s, during the term of former French president François Mitterrand, who commissioned Chinese-American architect IM Pei to design an entrance befitting the historic site.
The glass pyramid that currently forms the museum’s entrance was opened to the public in 1989, giving a modern face to a historic institution known for its display of the world’s finest art.
Des Cars said this renovation project may have created an illusion that the museum was being completely modernized. However, he stated: “This major modernization project is now 40 years old, with facilities that have already been outdated and are at the end of their useful life.”
How it happened
The robbery took place at 9:30 am on Sunday, when the robbers parked a truck with a mobile ladder outside the gallery. At 9:34 am, they set off an alarm on the second floor door, which sent a signal to a security post.
A security agent inside the auditorium radioed the intrusion and staff began to remove the audience. The alarms in two high-security display cases were triggered when the thieves opened holes in the glass to get at the jewelry. At 09:36, the police were called. A minute later, a message was sent asking that the doors be closed. At 9:38 am, the thieves had abandoned the building.
Empress Eugenie’s pearl diadem exhibited at the Apollo Gallery of the Louvre in Paris, France, on May 20, 2021. It is one of eight pieces still missing. Maeva Destombes/Hans Lucas/AFP/Getty Images
Surveillance teams outside the museum prevented the suspects from setting the vehicle on fire, but were unable to prevent their escape on scooters along the banks of the Seine. A police official said investigators searched the truck for any traces of DNA. One of the two scooters was recovered, as well as a helmet worn by one of the suspects, the official added.
Des Cars declared on Wednesday that the security system inside the Apollo Gallery “worked perfectly” – but that it was designed several years ago to protect against the greatest risks of the time. For example, the high-security display cases that housed the jewelry were designed to resist bullets.
“At the time, this was the dominant modus operandi for this type of attack, for precious objects, jewelry, attacks on jewelry stores,” explained des Cars. “That’s what the Louvre is protecting itself against.”
What is needed now is to adapt the system to a “new type of attack, to new methods of operation that had not been foreseen”.
The theft “profoundly shocked” museum staff, French citizens and “all those who love the Louvre”, said des Cars.
Des Cars suggested measures that could be put in place to increase the museum’s security, such as fortifying the Louvre’s outer boundaries and prohibiting cars from parking nearby. Des Cars said he is also considering the possibility of installing a police station inside the museum.
*John Miller contributed to this article
