Louvre closes galleries due to structural issues

The Louvre Museum in Paris has announced that it will close one of its galleries due to structural defects.

The Louvre said the Campana Gallery, which consists of nine rooms housing Greek ceramics, will remain closed as engineers investigate “certain beams supporting the floor.”

The news adds further unwelcome attention to the museum, following a high-profile robbery last month in which jewelery worth €88m (£76m; $102m) was taken.

Criticism has focused on lax security at the world’s most visited museum in the French capital.

Four people were arrested for the robbery, but the jewelry has not been recovered.

The Louvre said in a statement on Monday that structural problems with the second-floor offices, above the Campana Gallery in the museum’s Sully Wing, led to the decision.

“During these investigations, the Campana Gallery… will be closed to the public as a precautionary measure,” it said.

Three weeks after the jewel theft, the Court of Auditors released a report criticizing administrators for preferring to invest in new artworks and exhibitions rather than in basic maintenance and protection of the museum.

Based on findings from 2018-24, the report found museums spent €105.4m (£92.7m) on new art and €63.5m on exhibition space.

But at the same time, it spent only 26.7 million euros on maintenance works and 59.5 million euros on restoring the palace buildings.

On the day of the robbery, the suspects arrived at 09:30 (07:30 GMT), when the museum had just opened to visitors.

The suspects arrived on a stolen vehicle-mounted mechanical lift and entered the Galerie d’Apollon through a balcony close to the Seine. The men used a disc cutter to open display cases containing jewelry.

Prosecutors said the thieves stayed inside for four minutes and escaped at 09:38 on two motorcycles waiting outside before changing into a car.

One of the stolen items – a crown – was dropped during the escape. The other seven gems have yet to be found.

There are fears they have been smuggled abroad, although the prosecutor on the case said she still hoped they would be recovered intact.

Paris prosecutors say those arrested in a robbery that rocked France were petty criminals rather than organized crime professionals.

Security measures around French cultural institutions have been stepped up since the incident.

The Louvre even moved some of its most precious jewels to the Bank of France.