The key facts
- Louvre director Christophe Leribault warned that without a major renovation the museum may close to the public
- A year after the theft of crown jewels worth €88 million, an €83 million security plan is being implemented
- The 'Louvre — New Renaissance' project is estimated by the government at €700–800 million over ten years; unions criticize the priority given to grandiose plans
Director's Warning
The Louvre may ultimately close to visitors if France's next government does not support a major transformation of the world's most visited museum. Director Christophe Leribault said this on Wednesday in an interview with Le Figaro. According to him, the museum will seek private funding for the works, but a large injection of state funds will have to be approved after next year's national elections. 'Whoever forms the next government must remember: if the Louvre is not repaired, not renewed and not transformed, it will very quickly fall behind and in the end its doors will have to be closed to the public. That would be a catastrophe,' Leribault said.
Context of the Budget Crisis
Successive minority governments have struggled for years to pass annual budgets, and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is trying to curb state spending to reduce the huge deficit. Leribault, an art historian who previously headed the Musée d'Orsay, took the post in February after the resignation of Laurence des Cars amid last year's jewelry theft.
A Year After the Robbery
On October 19, 2025, four robbers, using a lifting platform mounted on a truck, broke into the Apollo Gallery and in broad daylight stole eight items from the French crown jewels with an estimated value of €88 million. A Senate investigation found that of the two cameras covering the break-in site, only one was working. The jewels have never been found. In an interview with AFP on the eve of the anniversary, Leribault said the €83 million security plan is 'moving at a fast pace': it includes a new position of head of security, an upgrade of the camera network (it turned out the cameras were outdated and there are major gaps), as well as enhanced surveillance along the perimeter and at access points. The Apollo Gallery has reopened after the robbery, but the jewels are not displayed there.
Condition of the Building and Political Disputes
Leribault argues that lasting improvements are possible only within the framework of an overall renovation of the museum, which received about nine million visitors last year. 'Security works require intervention in the historic building and its infrastructure. There is no simple, miraculous
