Fresh leadership at the Louvre
Four months after a jaw-dropping daytime robbery, the Louvre has a new leader. Art historian Christophe Leribault has been tapped to steer the ship after Laurence des Cars resigned — a move President Macron accepted, saying the museum needs steady hands and a push to finish big security and modernization projects.
The brazen heist that made headlines
In October, a gang turned movie-caper for real: they bypassed security, used power tools and walked off with priceless jewelry once worn by French queens and empresses — reports put the haul at about $102 million. Some suspects were later detained, but the jewels themselves are still missing.
Why the director stepped down
Des Cars, who ran the Louvre since 2021 through pandemic recovery and the return of mass tourism, said she felt responsible for what happened and offered her resignation. The decision was framed as taking accountability at a time when the world’s biggest museum needs both stability and fresh momentum.
Not the Louvre’s only problem lately
The heist wasn’t an isolated embarrassment. In December a burst pipe damaged as many as 400 objects in an Egyptian antiquities collection. Around the same time, staff strikes over working conditions forced a halt to operations and left people stuck outside the glass pyramid. Prosecutors have also exposed an alleged ticket-fraud ring — investigators say some tour guides may have been reusing the same tickets dozens of times a day, possibly with inside help, in a scheme that could go back years.
What Leribault is walking into
Restoring confidence will be his first act. Expect tightened security, fresh audits and a lot of awkward questions from the public and the press. There’s also the quieter work: finishing modernization plans and keeping the museum running for millions of visitors. In short, it’s a big, complicated to-do list — and the Louvre’s new boss will have to balance palace-level drama with very real practical fixes. Popcorn optional, but recommended for the headlines.
