PARIS – The Louvre’s director shared that new surveillance cameras and anti-intrusion measures will be installed at the museum following the dramatic Crown heist last month.
Laurence de Cases, the director, mentioned that around 100 cameras should be up and running by the end of next year, while the anti-intrusion system will start being set up in about two weeks.
She described it as a method to prevent unauthorized access to the museum but didn’t delve into specifics. The cameras are meant to ensure “complete protection” around the museum’s perimeter.
“After the shock, after the emotions, after the evaluation, it’s time for action,” de Cases remarked during a session with Parliament’s culture committee at the world’s most-visited museum.
She noted this is part of over 20 emergency measures being rolled out. Additionally, a “security coordinator” role has been created, which has been publicized recently.
On the day of the robbery, thieves accessed the Apollo Gallery via a cargo lift and managed to steal treasures worth about 88 million euros ($102 million) in less than eight minutes.
De Cases offered new insight into how the breach occurred, revealing that the robbers used a concrete disc cutter to break through display cases.
“It’s a method that was completely unimaginable,” she explained, noting that the display cases were designed in 2019 to withstand attacks from inside the museum.
CCTV footage indicated that the display case “held up surprisingly well and did not fall apart” during the heist. “If you watch the video, you can see how difficult it was for the thieves,” she added.
De Cases emphasized the importance of the 10-year “Louvre New Renaissance” plan, initiated earlier this year, which aims to modernize infrastructure and provide the Mona Lisa a dedicated space by 2031, with an estimated cost of 800 million euros ($933 million).
With the Louvre feeling the strain of mass tourism, the Musée des Arts has, in recent years, capped daily visitors to 30,000.
The iconic glass pyramid, finished in 1989, was initially expected to attract about 4 million visitors annually. However, over 8 million people have already visited the Louvre this year.
“The extensive modernization work undertaken by the Louvre in the 1980s has become outdated, and the facilities have been stretched for 40 years,” de Cases noted.
The Louvre recently announced a temporary closure of some employee offices and one public gallery due to structural issues.
