One month after the extraordinary Louvre robbery, and while the eight jewels stolen from the Apollon Gallery are still in the wild, the president of the Paris museum is once again in danger. After being heard by senators from the Culture Committee on October 22 – a hearing at which he admitted it “inspect” – Laurence des Cars returns this Wednesday to discuss this issue with international implications before the deputies of the Committee for Cultural and Educational Affairs.
From the start, after being recognized “responsible for the failure of last October 19”A”the tremendous wounds that have befallen us, the former art historian emphasizes that point “emergency measures” will be housed in the Louvre Museum “in the next few days”. Among these new features: installation “in 2026” one hundred perimeter cameras, the creation of a security coordinator position and the installation of equipment for social distancing work. Also, “Relations with police headquarters will be strengthened” through making a “follow up post” police headquarters inside the museum.
“I want to build a real safety culture”summed up the president of the Louvre, whose galleries were closed to the public on Monday 17 November “as a precautionary measure”. And to continue: “The Louvre may be a national wonder (…), but no less fragile.”
Laurence des Cars later recalled that from 2022, he continued to insist “about the need to renovate the Louvre, to adapt it to the challenges of our time, whether security, climate or digital. Therefore, between 2022 and 2025, 134 digital cameras will be deployed inside the halls of the Louvre, he underlined, adding that the recent robbery “should not overshadow our daily efforts”.
The institution’s president, who recalled before the Senate having raised the alarm regarding the state of the museum’s conservation, finally announced that the new renovated space would soon be open to the public, with “highly advanced equipment that allows complete, modern video coverage and close protection of the work.” The master plan for safety equipment will be implemented from 2026, for more “investment of 80 million euros”, Laurence Des Cars notes.
