Tourists stand next to barriers blocking the plaza with the Louvre Pyramid, designed by Chinese-US architect Ieoh Ming Pei, as the Louvre Museum is closed due a strike in Paris on January 12, 2026. MARTIN LELIEVRE / AFP
After a break-in and strikes, a ticket fraud scandal and a water leak on Friday, February 13, brought new troubles to France's Louvre museum. The fire brigade had to be called overnight after a pipe burst in the Denon wing, which houses the Mona Lisa painting and other priceless exhibits, according to a statement.
French prosecutors, meanwhile, on Friday charged nine people over ticket fraud that may have cost the museum €10 million ($11.9 million), legal sources said. Investigators believe guides working with Chinese tourists reused tickets to enter several times, bribing security staff to get their compliance.
While the space containing Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece was not affected by the leak, it damaged a room of 15th-century Italian works and its decorative ceiling, painted by French artist Charles Meynier. "The ceiling artwork shows two tears in the same area, caused by water, and lifting of the paint layer on the ceiling and its arches," a Louvre statement said. A heating-system pipe above the room caused the damage, the statement added. Firefighters intervened shortly after midnight.
