"Trouble comes in packs," former French president Jacques Chirac once said, with the wisdom of experience. Laurence des Cars can attest to that. The president of the Louvre has faced a relentless string of difficulties since precious jewels were stolen from the museum two months ago, to the point that the fate of the tiaras and necklaces themselves seems to fade into the background compared to questions about her own position.
Let us recap her ordeal since the theft. A gallery closed due to weakened beams. A water leak damaging hundreds of documents. The discovery of an old audit by jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels warning that the window used by the thieves was a weak point. Other alarming security audits that were swept under the rug. No fewer than three hearings of des Cars by lawmakers. Two scathing reports. A staff strike. The recent appointment of Philippe Jost, a graduate of the École Polytechnique engineering school with a soldier's profile, who oversaw the restoration of Notre-Dame Cathedral, to "thoroughly" reorganize the Louvre – meaning that no one internally is capable of doing so.
When des Cars, in office since 2021, offered her resignation just hours after the October 19 theft – not the most opportune moment for it to be accepted – the French government rallied behind her. But today, confidence in the former royal palace is eroding, due to the attitude of the Louvre's leadership, both past and present. About 10 senior managers have been questioned, and not one has admitted any share of responsibility. On October 22, before senators, the museum president acknowledged a "terrible failure." On November 7, she declared, "I don't feel that I have failed." It was hard to miss the semantic shift.
