A French Senate hearing revealed that Louvre security failures allowed thieves to steal $102 million in French crown jewels from the Apollo Gallery in October, with officials stating that the escape could have been prevented if exterior camera footage had been monitored in real time. Noël Corbin of the General Inspectorate of Cultural Affairs and Pascal Mignerey of the Security, Safety and Audit Mission testified that a 2019 security audit by Van Cleef & Arpels identifying gallery weaknesses was not transmitted to new leadership under director Laurence des Cars, contributing to the heist.
The theft has deepened a crisis at the world's most-visited museum, with 200 staffers voting to strike starting December 15 over deteriorating working conditions and unresolved security and maintenance issues. The scandal has spurred fierce criticism of museum protocols, with staff reportedly booing des Cars in an internal meeting and her offering resignation to culture minister Rachida Dati, who declined it. The incident underscores systemic failures in institutional memory and security prioritization at a major cultural institution, even as a €700–800 million renovation plan is announced.