A significant incident involving the Louvre Museum was brought to light today, with details published by La Tribune de l’Art and confirmed by BFMTV. The revelation includes photographs of the incident and an internal email from the Committee for Hygiene, Safety, and Working Conditions.
The email, sent the day after the incident, detailed that a faulty valve connected to pipes above important documents caused a major flood of dirty water, severely damaging artworks and documents, and considerably impairing workspaces.
According to the report, Louvre staff on duty that night managed to stop the leak before it reached an electrical distribution box on a lower floor, thus preventing a potentially severe accident.
Didier Rykner, editor of La Tribune de l’Art, estimated around 400 artworks were damaged, some irreparably. Rykner noted this was unsurprising, as requests for funds to safeguard books from known pipe issues had been made for years by the department team.
The Egyptian Antiquities Library, housed in the Mollien Pavilion, is reserved for use by conservators, historians, academics, and Louvre staff. Rykner criticized the poor state of the facilities, contrasting it with the 276,000 euros spent largely on furniture for the offices of the Louvre’s director, Laurence des Cars, the general administrator, and several employees in that area.
This disclosure coincides with the Louvre being embroiled in controversy following a robbery on October 19. Thieves accessed the Apollo Gallery via a freight elevator in broad daylight, escaping with French crown jewels.
All suspects were apprehended, but the jewels remain missing. An administrative investigation’s findings on the incident and potential security lapses will be presented in the French Senate next Wednesday.
