Paris – A recent audit has revealed significant security failings at the Louvre Museum in Paris, stemming from delayed equipment deployment, management inefficiencies, and excessive spending on artwork acquisitions, following a series of thefts including a high-profile heist last year. The findings, described as a “deafening wake-up call,” come as the museum undertakes a major long-term renovation project.
The audit, completed by an unnamed body, found that despite a security assessment a decade ago identifying vulnerabilities, upgrades were slow too materialize.A tender for security work wasn’t issued until last year, with completion not expected until 2032. As of 2024,only 39% of the museum’s rooms were equipped with CCTV cameras. These shortcomings, alongside wider management issues and ticket fraud, contributed to the museum’s inability to adequately protect its collection, which attracts over 8.7 million visitors annually.
The report highlighted a “chronic, structural underestimation of the risk of intrusion and theft” and ”an inadequate level of security measures,” echoing the conclusions of an administrative inquiry into a recent theft completed last week. It also noted that only a quarter of the Louvre’s artworks are currently on public display.
Ten recommendations were made to management, including reducing acquisitions and increasing ticket prices. Louvre management stated on Thursday they accepted “most” of the audit’s recommendations. The findings emerged as the Louvre launched an ambitious growth project in January, featuring a new space for the Mona Lisa and enhanced security protocols, responding to prior visitor complaints about museum dysfunction.
