Art News. Vasari Codex

article news schedule Jan 15, 2026 visibility 15 link 2 artists, 1 gallery

louvre installs bars on heist window

The Louvre Museum has installed security bars on the French window of the Apollo Gallery, the entry point used by thieves in a $102 million jewel heist on October 19. The museum announced the measure on X, showing workers installing the bars before dawn. Additional security upgrades include a mobile police base, distancing devices on the Quai François Mitterrand, and plans for 100 new perimeter cameras by 2026. These steps are part of a $92 million security master plan. Ticket prices for non-E.U. visitors will rise 45% to $37 starting January 14, 2026, to help fund the improvements. The museum also revealed that a 2018 audit sponsored by Van Cleef and Arpels had flagged the balcony's vulnerability, but then-director Jean-Luc Martinez did not act. Louvre president Laurence des Cars offered to resign after the security failures came to light but was asked to stay.

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article news schedule Nov 28, 2025 visibility 18 link 4 artists, 1 gallery

louvre security report

A 2018 security audit commissioned by the Louvre from Van Cleef and Arpels identified critical vulnerabilities in the museum's Apollo Gallery, including a balcony accessible via a lift platform—the exact entry point used by thieves in a daring October 19, 2025 heist. The audit, which included diagrams highlighting a window facing Quai François-Mitterrand as a major weakness, was not passed on to current Louvre president Laurence des Cars when she took over in 2021. The museum only discovered the document after the theft, prompting an internal review and referral to France's General Inspectorate of Cultural Affairs. French authorities have since arrested four more suspects, bringing the total to eight, as the investigation continues into the theft of eight valuable pieces including Napoleon Bonaparte's emerald-and-diamond necklace.

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article news schedule Nov 10, 2025 visibility 12 link 1 gallery

louvre museum emergency security measures

Nearly a month after the theft of the French crown jewels, the Louvre Museum has announced emergency security measures following a meeting of its Board of Directors, requested by French Minister of Culture Rachida Dati and chaired by museum director Laurence des Cars. The measures span four categories: security governance, site protection, police coordination, and technical/human resources. Plans include hiring a security coordinator, installing additional cameras and anti-ram devices, conducting security audits, deploying remote monitoring equipment, increasing surveillance patrols, and boosting the training budget by 20 percent. A security master plan, estimated to cost €80 million ($92 million), will be announced next month, though the eight stolen jewels remain unrecovered and four suspects are in custody.

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article news schedule Nov 21, 2025 visibility 11

louvre director new security plan heist

Louvre director Laurence des Cars defended the museum's security protocols in a New York Times interview following a recent robbery. She revealed that a comprehensive security review had already been initiated, including a master plan to add 100 cameras to the museum's perimeter, and that several companies had bid on the project before the theft occurred. However, she acknowledged that implementation has been slow due to the museum's scale and public procurement rules, with the full camera system not expected to be operational until the end of next year.

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