Louvre director warns of financial and infrastructure crisis

The Louvre Museum is facing a severe financial and infrastructural crisis, its new director told French lawmakers on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. Christophe Leribault, who took over as president-director in February, testified before the Senate's Committee on Culture, Education, Communication and Sport that the world's most-visited museum is "at the end of its rope" and confronting a "massive investment challenge."

Leribault described a situation where urgent building issues are piling up and the museum's equipment and infrastructure are reaching the end of their lifespan. He pointed to specific structural problems, including the fragility of beams on the second floor of the Sully Wing, which led to the evacuation of staff offices last November and the precautionary closure of the Campana Gallery. Staff are now working to secure more than 10,000 Greek vases housed in affected areas.

The director's stark assessment comes after nearly nine months of turmoil following a high-profile heist on October 19, 2025. In that incident, thieves used a lift to access an upper-floor window, stole crown jewels valued at over 100 million euros from the Galerie d'Apollon within eight minutes, and...