Christophe Leribault, an experienced museum director, has been appointed as the new director of the Louvre, replacing Laurence des Cars who resigned. The appointment follows a major security crisis at the Paris museum, including a brazen October heist of French crown jewels that exposed significant vulnerabilities. The Louvre faces multiple challenges: infrastructure problems like burst pipes and water damage, staff shortages and overcrowding issues, aging facilities, and a suspected decade-long ticket fraud operation costing approximately 10 million euros. Leribault brings substantial experience from managing Versailles Palace with a 170 million euro annual budget and previously directed the Orsay Museum. His priorities include implementing security upgrades, modernizing facilities, and executing the "Louvre New Renaissance" overhaul plan.
"The daylight robbery - among the highest-profile museum thefts in living memory - exposed alarming security holes at the Paris landmark. The former royal palace has also suffered a broad array of other problems that have presented a picture of a treasured national institution spiraling out of control."
"They include a burst pipe near the "Mona Lisa," water leaks that damaged priceless books, aging buildings, staff walkouts over overcrowding, understaffing and ticket price hikes for most non-European visitors. Pressure for new leadership deepened in recent weeks when authorities revealed a suspected decade-long ticket fraud operation linked to the museum."
"Leribault brings a proven track record. He has been running another world-renowned French landmark and tourist attraction, the Versailles Palace, overseeing an annual budget of about 170 million euros ($200 million). The former palace for French royalty west of Paris was the venue for Olympic equestrian sports when Paris hosted the summer games in 2024."
#louvre-museum-leadership #museum-security-crisis #cultural-institution-management #institutional-reform
Read at Fortune
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]