Louvre president defends museum policy before MPs and announces new security measures

The president of the Louvre, Laurence des Cars, during her hearing before the culture committee of the Assemblée Nationale in Paris, on November 19, 2025. BERTRAND GUAY/AFP

History seemed to repeat itself. Almost exactly one month after the spectacular theft of the Crown Jewels from the Galerie d'Apollon – which led to its indefinite closure – the Campana Gallery and its Greek masterpieces in the Sully Wing have now been taken off view.

A troubling assessment from the technical consultancy BMI warned of fragile beams supporting the second-floor galleries in that wing. Staff working in the museum's studies directorate and the collections-support division will be evacuated in the coming days. The Campana Gallery is closed until further notice while investigators dig deeper into the structural issues.

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Louvre museum director admits jewel heist 'was not inevitable'