'A terrible failure': Louvre director des Cars offered to resign after €88m crown jewel heist

Paris: The Louvre Museum reopened on Wednesday to long lines and heavy scrutiny after one of the most audacious art heists of the century saw thieves steal eight crown jewels in broad daylight, a loss that director Laurence des Cars described as a “terrible failure.”

In testimony before the French Senate, des Cars admitted to serious security lapses at the Paris landmark, including a shortage of exterior surveillance cameras, and revealed that she had offered her resignation, which the culture minister refused. “We are experiencing a terrible failure at the Louvre, and I take my share of responsibility,” she told lawmakers.

The theft occurred on Sunday morning, just steps from the Mona Lisa, with the culprits spending less than four minutes inside. They forced open a window on the Seine-facing side, smashed glass cases containing France’s Crown Jewels, and escaped on motorbikes. The stolen haul, valued at roughly €88 million ($102 million), included priceless 19th-century pieces linked to Queen Marie-Amélie and Hortense, Empress Marie-Louise, and Empress Eugénie. One damaged crown, Eugénie’s emerald-set imperial diadem, was later found near the museum.

Visitors expressed disbelief at how easily the thieves pulled off the heist. “I heard it took under four minutes. How is that possible here, with no police in sight?” said Amanda Lee, a teacher from Chicago. Others, like French visitor Claire Martin, said they still came “for the art,” leaving the investigation to the authorities.

Des Cars acknowledged that the museum’s alarms had functioned correctly but confirmed that complete external video coverage had not yet been installed, a weakness highlighted by the theft. She urged the installation of barriers to prevent vehicles from parking alongside the museum and proposed establishing a police station within the premises, which hosts 30,000 daily visitors and 2,300 staff.

Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said forensic work is underway, with four suspects identified and around 100 investigators tracing the crew and potential accomplices. She warned that the jewels’ recovery is crucial, as disassembling them could destroy irreplaceable cultural artefacts.

The heist has triggered fierce debate over security at the world’s most-visited museum, and renewed criticism of government oversight. It follows a staff strike earlier this year over chronic understaffing and overcrowding. President Emmanuel Macron’s earlier pledge to upgrade Louvre security, with an expanded surveillance network and a new command post, is now under renewed examination.

As the Louvre reopened, visitors once again viewed its treasures, from the Venus de Milo to the Winged Victory of Samothrace. Yet the empty vitrines in the Apollo Gallery stood as stark reminders of the breach, a cultural wound exposing the vulnerabilities of France’s most iconic museum.

With inputs from PTI