Culture News

Louvre director Laurence des Cars resigns four months after the crown jewels heist

Laurence des Cars resigned as president and director of the Louvre on Tuesday, February 24, and President Emmanuel Macron accepted, the Elysée said, as reported by the Associated Press. She had first offered to resign to Culture Minister Rachida Dati after the October 19 theft of crown jewels worth €88m ($100m) from the Apollo Gallery, but that offer was rejected. Des Cars became the first woman to lead the museum in its 230-year history in September 2021. AP recalls that she called the museum's technical infrastructure “absolutely obsolete, even absent”, and that staff had complained of crowds and understaffing.

Her resignation is “an act of responsibility at a time when the world's largest museum needs both stability and a strong new impetus.” — the Elysée, via AP

Italy's Il Sole 24 Ore stressed the soft landing: the Elysée thanked her and said she will receive a mission linked to France's G7 presidency on cooperation between major museums. The US art site Hyperallergic told a longer story of crisis, listing reports that the surveillance password was “Louvre”, the closure of a Greek ceramics gallery, two water leaks, strikes, the price rise for non-EU visitors and a decade-long ticket fraud costing about €10m. It quoted her note to staff asking how the Louvre can be transformed “without providing it with the resources to achieve its ambitions”, and recalled that dozens of museum directors, including the heads of the Met and Tate, signed a letter backing her.

How each outlet framed it

• Associated Press — the heist, the Elysée statement and pressure from visitors.
• Il Sole 24 Ore — the official framing and her new G7 role.
• Hyperallergic — months of problems and her warnings about resources.

What happened next: On Wednesday, February 25, the culture ministry named Christophe Leribault, director of the Palace of Versailles, as the Louvre's new head, AP reports. Dati said she expects him to defend the museum's “international relevance”.