Louvre Director Warns of Closure Risk
The Louvre "will eventually have to close its doors to the public" unless the French state steps in to finance a major overhaul, Louvre director Christophe Leribault told French newspaper Le Figaro.
The Louvre risks having to close its doors to the public unless lawmakers approve a major overhaul of the creaking and over-capacity institution, Christophe Leribault told Le Figaro on Wednesday.
Christophe Leribault said that the museum intended to tap private sources of funding for its transformation, but that a major injection of public money would need to be approved after national elections next year.
"Whoever forms the next government must keep in mind that if the Louvre is not repaired, updated and transformed, it will very quickly fall behind and will eventually have to close its doors to the public. That would be a disaster," he said.
Leribault was appointed in February in the aftermath of the October 19 heist in 2025 when thieves raided the Louvre to steal crown jewels worth an estimated € 88 million.