A powerful hailstorm caused water to leak through the Louvre's roof into the Salle Rosa room, where the exhibition "A New Look at Cimabue: At the Origins of Italian Painting" is on view. The water narrowly missed Giovanni Cimabue's unprotected "Maestà" panel painting (circa 1280), but drips hit the base of Nicola Pisano's "Three Acolytes" (1264-67) on loan from Florence's Museo Nazionale del Bargello. Another near miss occurred near Duccio di Buoninsegna's "Madonna of the Franciscans" (1285-88), which was protected by glass. The museum closed the exhibition early for firefighter inspection, identified a damaged glass seal as the cause, and reopened the next morning after repairs.
This incident underscores the Louvre's severe structural problems, which were detailed in a leaked memo from director Laurence des Cars to the French culture ministry in January, warning of "structural damage" and that parts of the building were "no longer watertight." French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a roughly €750-million restoration project, but it likely won't start until the 2030s. The leak highlights the urgent need for infrastructure investment in major French museums, as the Centre Pompidou is also set to close for five years in September for a €262-million renovation.