The director of the Louvre Museum resigns four months after the “Robbery of the Century”. The reproaches of the Parliament of Paris

The director of the Louvre Museum, Laurence des Cars, resigned four months after a spectacular robbery in the most visited museum in the world, the Élysée Palace announced on Tuesday, informs AFP, taken over by Agerpres. The “heist of the century”, as it was dubbed by the media, made headlines around the world on October 19, when several criminals were filmed stealing the crown jewels in minutes using a simple freight elevator.

Laurence des Cars, who came to the attention of the media after this spectacular robbery resulting in damages of 88 million euros, presented his resignation to Emmanuel Macron, who accepted it, arguing that the museum needed “a new impulse”.

“The head of state accepted the resignation, welcoming an act of responsibility at a time when the largest museum in the world needs calm and a new impulse to carry out major security and modernization works, as well as the 'Louvre – Nouvelle Renaissance' project”, the presidency stated in a statement.

Emmanuel Macron, who appointed Laurence des Cars, a renowned art historian, to head the Louvre in 2021, thanked her for her work and commitment in recent years and announced that he would entrust her with a mission in the field of cooperation between the great museums of the G7 countries.

Serial scandals

The 59-year-old former director of the Musée d'Orsay, des Cars, was left extremely vulnerable by the robbery at the Louvre on October 19, when eight French crown jewels were stolen in broad daylight, highlighting major security breaches at the world's most visited museum.

Under fire from critics, Laurence des Cars initially defended her actions at the head of the museum, but her activity was destabilized by alarming audits regarding the security of the Louvre, which she learned about only after the robbery. “Looking back, we realize that there were still structural weaknesses. I understand that this raises questions,” she said on December 1 in an interview with Le Parisien.

At the same time, her position was weakened by other problems that hit the Louvre after the robbery, the museum being forced to close a gallery due to the rundown building and becoming the victim of ticket fraud.

Inside, her actions were also challenged by the employees who went on strike in mid-December, the longest social conflict in the history of the museum, with the aim of denouncing the working conditions.

On February 19, the chairman of a parliamentary inquiry into museum security launched a call for the French government to take control of the Louvre Museum, which has become a “state within a state” and fix the dysfunctions. “It is striking to note that the Louvre has become a state within a state,” said deputy Alexandre Portier. “The leadership of the Louvre is defective today,” said the president of this commission.

Asked about the retention of Laurence des Cars, who will be heard on Wednesday, Portier said that the list of dysfunctions identified at the Louvre after the October 19 theft “would have led in many countries and organizations for a long time to a resignation”.