The world's most visited museum, the Louvre in Paris, has been forced to close one of its galleries due to structural weaknesses. The Campana Gallery, which houses Greek ceramics, will remain shut as engineers investigate the condition of certain beams supporting the floors.
This latest development adds to the museum's woes following a high-profile heist last month where jewels worth €88m were stolen. Criticism has focused on lax security at the iconic institution, with some pointing out that money spent on buying new artworks and exhibitions could have been better allocated towards basic upkeep and protection of the museum.
A report by the Court of Auditors released three weeks after the heist found that managers had prioritized investments in art over maintenance works. The museum spent €105.4m on acquiring new artworks between 2018-24, while only €26.7m was allocated to maintenance works during the same period.
The recent theft has sparked tightened security measures around France's cultural institutions, and some of the Louvre's most valuable jewels have been transferred to the Bank of France for safekeeping. Four people have been arrested in connection with the heist, but the stolen items remain unrecovered.
This latest development adds to the museum's woes following a high-profile heist last month where jewels worth €88m were stolen. Criticism has focused on lax security at the iconic institution, with some pointing out that money spent on buying new artworks and exhibitions could have been better allocated towards basic upkeep and protection of the museum.
A report by the Court of Auditors released three weeks after the heist found that managers had prioritized investments in art over maintenance works. The museum spent €105.4m on acquiring new artworks between 2018-24, while only €26.7m was allocated to maintenance works during the same period.
The recent theft has sparked tightened security measures around France's cultural institutions, and some of the Louvre's most valuable jewels have been transferred to the Bank of France for safekeeping. Four people have been arrested in connection with the heist, but the stolen items remain unrecovered.
. I mean, it's already one of the most famous museums in the world, and now they're dealing with structural problems? It's just a big mess 
. And on top of that, all this security drama from last month... it's like, come on guys! 
You're basically saying that you can't trust people to look after your treasures, but at the same time, you're not investing enough in keeping them safe? 
And honestly, €105m on new artworks in 6 years is just a lot of cash 
.
. The Louvre needs to be back to its awesome self ASAP 
Interesting how security has become a bigger focus for museums after this heist 