A pipe burst in the Egyptian library, irreversibly damaging several works. For several years now, officials have been warning of the risk of disruption and asking for more funding.
Several works of art and old documents from the Louvre Museum in Paris were left damaged following a floodin the Egyptian antiquities library, caused by the rupture of a pipe on November 27th.
The information was released today by the specialized online publication La Tribune de l’Art, and confirmed by the BFMTV channel, which had access to several photographs of the incident and an internal electronic message from the Hygiene, Safety and Working Conditions Committee that reported what had happened.
In the message, sent a day later, the author explained that “a valve that fed the pipes located above the documents, which were known to be defective, caused a huge flood of dirty water which seriously damaged works of art and documents, and considerably damaged the workspaces of colleagues.
According to this report, the Louvre employees working that night managed to stop the escape before it reached an electrical distribution box on a lower floor, meaning there was a risk of a serious accident occurring.
Didier Rykner, responsible for the publication La Tribune de l’Art, estimated that around 400 works were damagedsome of them irreparably.
For Didier Rykner, this incident did not come as a surprise, as the department’s team has been asking for funds for years protect the books of a possible rupture of the pipes, the status of which is known.
The Egyptian antiquities library, located in the Mollien Pavilion, is part of a research and documentation service only accessible to conservativeshistorians, academics and staff at the Louvre Museum.
Rykner complained that the alleged deplorable state of these facilities contrasts sharply with the 276 thousand euros spent essentially on furniture for the offices of the director of the LouvreLaurence des Cars, the general administrator and several other officials whose offices are located in that area.
This situation was made public at a time when the Louvre is embroiled in controversy after the robbery which he was targeted on October 19th.
On that day, a group of thieves, who used a freight elevator To access the Apollo Gallery in broad daylight, he fled with the French crown jewels.
All members of the group were arrested, but the jewelry has not yet been recovered.
Next Wednesday, in the French Senate, the conclusions of the administrative investigation will be presented to clarify what happened and possible security failures.
