In a brazen seven-minute strike, thieves used a basket lift to reach the Louvre on Sunday morning and, with tourists already inside, forced open a window, smashed display cases and made off with jewels of “priceless value”, France's interior minister said.
The world's most visited museum closed for the day as police sealed the gates and escorted visitors away while they investigated.
“The robbery happened this morning at the opening Louvre“, wrote Minister of Culture Rashida Dati on X. The museum cited “exceptional reasons” for the closure. There were no reports of injuries.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, around 9:30 am, several miscreants broke into the window, stole jewelry from the display cases and fled on two-wheelers. The department said forensic investigations are underway and an accurate inventory of the stolen items is being compiled, adding that the items have “invaluable” historical value. Mr Duthie and Mr Nunez were on site along with museum management.
Video from the scene showed confused tourists being escorted out of the glass pyramid and surrounding courtyards as officers closed iron gates and closed nearby streets along the Seine.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez called it a “grand robbery,” saying the intruders entered from outside using a basket lift. He told France Inter radio that the robbery took seven minutes and the thieves used a rotary cutter to cut through the glass. He said it was “clearly a reconnaissance team.”
According to the ministry, the robbery took place in the Galerie d'Apollo, a vaulted hall in the Denon wing where part of the French crown jewels, painted by the court artist of King Louis XIV, is displayed under the ceiling.
French newspaper Le Parisien reported that the thieves entered through the façade facing the Seine, where construction is taking place, and used a freight elevator to reach the gallery.
After smashing the windows, they reportedly stole nine pieces from the jewelry collection of Napoleon and the Empress. One stolen jewel was later found near the museum, the newspaper reported, adding that the item was believed to be Empress Eugenie's crown and that it had been broken.
Louvre safety and staff in focus
Security around the tents remains tight. The Mona Lisa is protected by bulletproof glass and a special high-tech display system as part of wider anti-theft measures throughout the museum.
Staffing and security were hot spots at the Louvre. The museum postponed its opening during June employee strike due to overcrowding and chronic staffing shortages. Unions have warned that mass tourism is putting a strain on security and visitor management.
It was not immediately clear whether staffing levels played any role in Sunday's theft.
In January, President Emmanuel Macron announced a ten-year plan for a “New Renaissance of the Louvre” – some 700 million euros to upgrade infrastructure, reduce crowding and give Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece its own dedicated gallery by 2031 – but workers say relief has been slow to reach the halls.
Other European museums were robbed
The theft, which occurred less than half an hour after the doors were opened, echoes other recent raids on European museums.
In 2019, thieves smashed display cases in Dresden's Green Vault and stole hundreds of millions of euros worth of diamond-encrusted royal jewels. In 2017, robbers from Berlin's Bode Museum stole a 100-kilogram (220-pound) solid gold coin. In 2010, a lone intruder broke into the Paris Museum of Modern Art and made off with five paintings, including a Picasso.
The Louvre has a long history of thefts and attempted robberies. The most famous case occurred in 1911, when Mona Lisa disappeared from the frame, it was stolen by Vincenzo Perugia, a former employee who hid in the museum and came out with the painting under his coat. Two years later he was found in Florence. This episode helped make Leonardo da Vinci's portrait the most famous work of art in the world.
It contains more than 33,000 works of antiquity, sculpture and painting – from Mesopotamia, Egypt and the classical world to European masters. The Louvre's star attractions include the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. The museum can attract up to 30,000 visitors per day.
