Louvre director Laurence des Cars resigns after $167.5m crown jewel heist

The president of the Louvre, Laurence des Cars, has resigned after a months-long string of scandals – including a jewellery heist in October. Photo / Geoffroy Van der Hasselt, AFP

The head of France’s Louvre museum has resigned, the office of the French presidency has announced, after a months-long string of scandals – including the brazen daylight theft of priceless jewels.

Laurence des Cars submitted her resignation letter to President Emmanuel Macron, which was accepted, with the Elysee “hailing an act of responsibility at a time when the world’s largest museum needs a period of calm and a new strong impetus to carry out major security projects”.

Des Cars has been under rising pressure since the October robbery of US$100 million ($167.5m) of French crown jewels stolen. The theft is currently the subject of an inquiry.

The Louvre, a former royal palace and home to some of the world’s most iconic pieces of art, including Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, receives in the region of nine million visitors a year.

Des Cars, who formerly headed the Musee d’Orsay in Paris, first offered her resignation shortly after the October 19 break-in, but it was refused by Macron, who named her to the position in 2021.

On Tuesday, Macron thanked Des Cars for her “action and commitment” as well as “her undeniable scientific expertise”.

Four suspects remain in police custody, including the two suspected thieves, but the eight stolen items of French crown jewels have not been found.

Last week, MPs leading the inquiry presented an interim assessment of their work after 70 hearings, pointing to “systemic failures” that led to the break-in.

After initially defending her position Des Cars had, as numerous lapses in security emerged, conceded in a December 1 interview with daily Le Parisien that “with hindsight, we can see that structural weaknesses remained [and] I understand that this raises questions”.

The complete findings are due to be released in May.

The French culture ministry has ordered its own internal audit of the robbery, while senators are also holding hearings into the heist that captivated France and many people abroad after evidence pointed to poorly equipped security systems.

Lax security

In another damning report published in early November, the Court of Auditors stated that the Louvre had “prioritised visible and attractive operations” while neglecting investment in better security.

The institution also pointed to the existence of an official audit dating from 2017 that warned of the risks of a potential security breach, which could, it warned, have “dramatic” consequences.

In acknowledging the issues uncovered, Des Cars told the Senate in late October that she was not seeking to “shirk responsibility or adopt a position of denial. Despite our efforts, despite our hard work on a daily basis, we have been defeated.”

Since the theft the museum has taken several emergency measures, including replacing the grille used by the thieves as Des Cars sought to focus on a major “Louvre - New Renaissance” renovation of the site.

In addition to the robbery, other recent setbacks had hit Des Cars’ stewardship with the Louvre the subject of a ticket fraud scandal and a water leak, after a pipe burst this month in a wing that houses the Mona Lisa and other priceless paintings.

Furthermore, some museum staff have since mid-December been engaged in the longest labour dispute in the museum’s history in a protest over working conditions.

That has forced the Louvre to close its doors on several occasions and highlighted strained relations between unions and Des Cars.

Adding to the problems, last weekend British political activists hung a picture in the Louvre of the former prince Andrew, showing him slouched in the back of a car after his arrest and questioning over allegations of misconduct in public office.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor faces allegations stemming from information released by the US Department of Justice that he made available confidential government information to the late convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while the former royal was engaged as a trade envoy between 2001 and 2011.

- Agence France-Presse