Staff at the Musée du Louvre staged another walkout on Monday, forcing the Paris museum to close temporarily before partially reopening at noon. The striking workers, representing 350 staff members including curators, unanimously voted for the action, citing concerns over working conditions and infrastructure. They are demanding that director Laurence des Cars scrap her "unrealistic" €666m plan for a new entrance, subterranean complex around the Mona Lisa, and an exhibition hall, arguing that funds should instead be directed toward urgent technical maintenance to preserve the collections. The strike follows a three-day walkout before Christmas and an October theft of crown jewels, which have not been recovered despite arrests.
This dispute matters because it exposes a deep crisis of trust between staff and leadership at one of the world's most visited museums, with workers accusing des Cars of prioritizing "visible and attractive operations" over essential preservation. The museum has allocated €100m for preliminary studies of the grand redevelopment plan in its 2026 budget, but only €15m for technical maintenance, including a mere €1.8m for artwork safety. Official reports following the October heist have highlighted "accelerated degradation" of infrastructure due to maintenance delays. A new parliamentary investigation into museum safety begins this week, which is expected to increase pressure on des Cars to resign.