Louvre staff went on strike again on Monday over understaffing, working conditions, and the museum's $820 million renovation plan, echoing calls for director Laurence des Cars to step down. The walkout forced the museum to close to the public, reopening only a few major attractions like the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory of Samothrace. The strike, originally launched in December, was suspended briefly but resumed after all 350 staff voted unanimously in favor. Unions demand a re-evaluation of the renovation project, dubbed "Nouvelle Renaissance," arguing the high cost is unrealistic and that priorities should shift to urgent technical maintenance.
The strike matters because it highlights a deepening crisis at the world's most visited museum, where deferred maintenance, chronic understaffing, and security failures have collided with a major renovation championed by President Emmanuel Macron. The situation has been exacerbated by a $102 million jewel heist in October 2025 and damning audits detailing the building's accelerating deterioration. The outcome of negotiations with France's ministry of culture could set a precedent for how major cultural institutions balance expansion with worker safety and collection preservation.