A report from the French auditor criticizes the Louvre for its excessive acquisitions of works of art, even though most rooms lacked cameras
France’s Louvre museum launched a security audit a decade ago, but recommended improvements will not be completed until 2032, the auditor said in a report written Thursday before a spectacular break-in last month.
The broad daylight robbery, in which four thieves made off with jewelry worth C$143 million, raised doubts about the credibility of the world’s most visited museum as guardian of its myriad works. Officials admitted that security was not up to par.
Although investigators have charged four suspects for their involvement in the raid, the treasures have not yet been recovered.
Excerpts from the report, published Thursday by the Court of Auditors, had already leaked to the media a few days after the search.
By 2024, only 39% of the museum’s rooms were equipped with cameras, the report said, and a security audit launched in 2015, which found the museum was not adequately monitored or prepared for a crisis, only led to a tender for security work late last year.
“It will take several years to complete the project, which the museum estimates is not expected to be completed until 2032,” the report said.
The museum’s inability to update its infrastructure has been exacerbated by excessive spending on art purchases, only a quarter of which is on public display, and post-pandemic recovery plans, as well as inefficiencies and ticket fraud.
Even the development initiatives announced this year were not based on feasibility studies, whether technical or financial, and did not take into account staffing needs, the report said.
A “chronic underinvestment” in security
The report makes 10 recommendations including a reduction in the number of acquisitions by the museum, an increase in the price of its tickets and an overhaul of its digital infrastructure and governance.
Faced with “chronic underinvestment in information systems”, believes the auditor, “the museum must strengthen its internal control function, which remains underdeveloped for an institution of the size of the Louvre”.
The most visited museum in the world – the Louvre – is now the site of what some are calling the heist of the decade. Andrew Chang explains how masked thieves stole France’s crown jewels in minutes and why the coins could be impossible to recover.
This theft only reinforces some of the considerations made in the report, Pierre Moscovici, director of the auditor, told journalists on Thursday.
“The theft of the Crown Jewels was undoubtedly a deafening wake-up call: this pace [of security upgrades] “It’s nowhere near enough,” Moscovici said. “The authorities now realize that they have heard these alarm bells.”
He said the Louvre has sufficient funds for the necessary improvements, and “now it must do it without fail.”
WATCH | See some of the jewelry, necklaces that are missing:
After the theft, French authorities said the Louvre would put in place additional security measures by the end of the year, including anti-intrusion devices and anti-vehicle ramming barriers on nearby public roads.
In January, amid growing complaints about disarray at the museum, France launched an ambitious development project involving a new space dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci. Mona Lisathe world’s most famous painting, and new security measures to protect its visitors and its precious exhibits.
In written remarks released by the Court of Auditors, Culture Minister Rachida Dati said she recognized the urgency of the technical work and reiterated her calls for rapid corrective action.
Louvre director Laurence des Cars said in the same document that she supported most of the auditor’s recommendations, but insisted that the museum’s long-term transformation plan was essential to addressing its structural challenges.
