After the break-in at the Musée du Louvre in Paris, October 19, 2025. DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP
On October 19, 2025, the theft of eight Crown Jewels from the Louvre sent shockwaves through the museum world. More than just a high-profile crime (using a circular saw), the event ranked among the three most significant moments of 2025. According to an Odoxa-Le Figaro poll conducted in December 2025, the attention that was paid to news coverage of the break-in rivaled that of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which was mentioned by 27% of French respondents, and far overshadowed that of the unprecedented incarceration of a former president of the Republic, Nicolas Sarkozy.
For MPs Alexis Corbière (the Greens, left-wing) and Alexandre Portier (Les Républicains, right-wing), respectively rapporteur and president of the inquiry commission on museum security, the heist was no stroke of bad luck: It was a stark illustration of a museum model at a breaking point. Their report, which was the culmination of hearings with more than 100 professionals, former ministers and local officials, was unveiled on Wednesday, May 13. It confirmed the findings of previous reports, notably that of MP Christophe Marion (Ensemble pour la République, centrist), which was submitted in February to former culture minister Rachida Dati.
