Louvre director resigns after million-dollar jewelry theft and series of internal crises

The director of the Museum of the Louvre, Laurence des Cars, resigned four months after a theft of jewelry valued at approximately $102 million occurred in broad daylight at the iconic Paris museum.

The resignation was accepted by President Emmanuel Macron, the presidency announced in an official statement. In the text, the French government described the decision as "an act of institutional responsibility," just when the museum requires stability, renewed leadership, and a new impetus to advance security and modernization projects.

The multimillion-dollar and shameful robbery occurred in the Louvre's Apollo Gallery when an organized group arrived in a truck equipped with an extendable ladder, parked on the public road, and gained access through a second-floor window.

To enter the premises, according to French authorities, they used a disc cutter and, once inside, went directly to two showcases displaying pieces of the former French crown jewels. The operation lasted less than seven minutes and, during the escape, they attempted to set fire to the vehicle outside but were prevented from doing so by a museum employee.

Although several suspects were subsequently arrested, the stolen items have not been recovered.

Following the episode, des Cars described what happened as a "tragic, brutal, and violent" situationfor the museum and stated that, as head of the institution, he felt it appropriate to offer his resignation.

Des Cars has headed the Louvre since 2021, a period initially marked by the effects of the pandemic and the revival of international mass tourism. In the months following the theft, sectors of the French cultural scene questioned the lack of immediate consequences at the managerial level in what was considered one of the most serious security lapses in the country's recent history.

The museum also faced other difficulties in recent months. In December, a pipe burst caused by flooding damaged up to 400 works kept in a library of Egyptian antiquities. That same month, workers went on strike demanding better working conditions, forcing a temporary suspension of operations and locking visitors out of the facility.

Also, the authorities are investigating an alleged ticket fraud scheme. According to prosecutors, tour guides allegedly reused the same tickets multiple times to admit different groups of visitors, in some cases with the alleged collaboration of museum employees, reported NBC News.

Investigators contend that the system would have operated for about a decade.