The Louvre Museum in Paris has decided to close the Campana Gallery, which includes nine rooms featuring Greek ceramics, due to structural issues. Engineers are currently examining “certain beams supporting the floors” of the gallery. This closure occurs in the wake of a recent high-profile jewel heist that took place last month, where items valued at €88 million were stolen.
Following the theft, four individuals were arrested, but the jewels remain missing. In a statement, the Louvre cited structural concerns in offices located above the Campana Gallery, which influenced the decision to halt public access as a precautionary step. The gallery will remain closed during the ongoing investigations.
A report from the Court of Auditors, released three weeks after the theft, criticized museum management for focusing on acquiring new artworks and exhibitions rather than on necessary maintenance and security. The report disclosed that from 2018 to 2024, the Louvre allocated €105.4 million to purchasing new artworks and €63.5 million on exhibit spaces, while only €26.7 million was spent on maintenance and €59.5 million on restoration of the building itself.
On the day of the heist, the suspects utilized a stolen vehicle-mounted mechanical lift to access the Gallery of Apollo and employed a disc cutter to open display cases housing the stolen jewelry. They spent approximately four minutes inside the museum and escaped on scooters. One stolen item—a crown—was dropped during the getaway, while the fate of the remaining seven jewels is uncertain. Authorities fear that these items may have been smuggled out of the country, although the prosecutor expressed hope for their recovery. Following this incident, security measures have been intensified across cultural institutions in France, and the Louvre has moved some of its more valuable jewels to the Bank of France.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpd2gwwx101o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss