Louvre Museum President Says Institution is 'Out of Breath,' Needs Over a Billion Euros for Renovation

The Louvre Museum, the world's most visited, is struggling with aging infrastructure and faces a "wall of investments" for necessary renovations, according to its new president, Christophe Leribault. He described the iconic institution as "out of breath," despite its grandeur and the dedication of its staff.

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We can say it without mincing words: despite its imposing majesty, despite the daily commitment of its teams, it is a Louvre out of breath.

Leribault, appointed in February, informed a Senate commission that the museum's equipment and infrastructure are reaching the end of their lifecycle. The security vulnerabilities and modernization delays were highlighted by the theft of Crown jewels in October, an event that exposed the museum's existing weaknesses.

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Its equipment, its infrastructure are reaching the end of their cycle.

"We are at a crossroads, building emergencies are accumulating, and we are facing a wall of investments, which is obviously not what we want to hear," Leribault stated. He announced that over 10,000 Greek vases would need to be moved to facilitate renovation work on one of the museum's wings.

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We are at a crossroads, building emergencies are accumulating, and we are facing a wall of investments, which is obviously not what we want to hear.

To address these challenges, Leribault emphasized the "absolute necessity" of the "Louvre Nouvelle renaissance" project, a massive renovation estimated to cost over one billion euros. Security is also a top priority, with plans for a new perimeter video surveillance system to be implemented by January 2027. Additional cameras have been urgently installed in critical areas, and a new security control center will be established in October. Olivier Goupil, formerly responsible for security at RATP, has been appointed to the newly created position of security coordinator. Leribault acknowledged that the "bruise of the theft and the trauma of the months that followed are still very raw" within the museum.

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We have of course urgently installed a few additional cameras in absolutely critical locations where deficiencies had been noted, but we cannot recreate an entire new network with hundreds of cameras without reinforcing the technical framework.