Louvre museum director resigns months after high-profile heist

The director of the Louvre museum in Paris has resigned, months after the high-profile theft of France’s crown jewels from one of the world’s most visited art galleries.

Laurence des Carrs submitted her resignation to President Emmanel Macron, who said it was “an act of responsibility”, French media say.

The heist took place on the morning of 19 October last year, when thieves used a stolen vehicle-mounted mechanical lift to gain access to the Galerie d’Apollon (Gallery of Apollo) via a balcony close to the River Seine.

The four main suspects have been arrested, but the eight prized pieces of jewellery, worth an estimated 88m euros (£76m, $104m) have not been recovered.

Watch: Two people leave Louvre in lift mounted to vehicle

They include a diamond and emerald necklace Emperor Napoleon gave to his wife were stolen.

As the thieves fled, they dropped a 19th-Century diamond-studded crown belonging to Empress Eugenie, which was damaged.

Early this month, the Louvre released the first image of the damage crown since the raid, saying it was “nearly intact” and could be fully restored.

The Louvre is home to priceless works of art including Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.

Days after the raid, Carrs admitted that CCTV around the Louvre’s perimeter was weak and “aging” – with the only camera monitoring the exterior wall of the Louvre where the thieves broke pointing away from the balcony that led to Gallery of Apollo housing the jewels.

Despite the museum’s huge volume of visitors – more than 8.7 million a year – investment in security has been slow and she highlighted the budget challenges big institutions face.

Des Cars, who became director of the Louvre in 2021, said she wanted to double the number of CCTV cameras.

A parliamentary inquiry into the failures is under way.

Its findings are due out in May, but a preliminary report released last week spoke of “systemic failures” which enabled the break-in.

Since then, the museum has also been beset by a suspected ticket fraud scheme, as well as being hit by a water leak.

Louvre Museum

Empress Eugenie’s crown was damaged after being dropped by the fleeing thieves

AFP via Getty Images

Two of the items stolen – including Empress Eugenie’s Crown (top right) – were later found near the museum

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