The Director of the Louvre Resigns Amid a Series of Scandals 0 10

Laurence des Cars, the first woman to head the Louvre, is stepping down after four years in the position. The decision comes amid a series of crises that the main museum of France has faced recently. As confirmed by the press service of the Élysée Palace, President Emmanuel Macron approved her resignation request.

The official document states that the head of France accepted the resignation request, emphasizing that the museum currently needs a vibrant impulse to implement future tasks. It is also reported that Macron plans to assign the 59-year-old des Cars a new task – coordinating cooperation among the museums of the G7 countries.

Laurence des Cars took over the Louvre on September 1, 2021, succeeding Jean-Luc Martinez. During her tenure, the museum held several large-scale exhibitions and campaigns to digitize its collection. However, in the last six months, the institution has found itself at the center of scandals, which led to the personnel changes.

In the fall of 2025, the museum experienced a high-profile robbery: criminals broke into the building through a construction area and stole jewelry from the collection of Napoleon and Empress Josephine in seven minutes. The incident caused international resonance and serious questions about the museum's security level. Shortly after the incident, des Cars requested to be relieved of her duties, but then Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak rejected it.

After that, new problems arose at the Louvre: workers went on strike demanding better working conditions, a scheme for reselling counterfeit tickets worth about 10 million euros was uncovered, and then an accident occurred – a pipe burst, flooding several halls and damaging exhibits from the 15th to 16th centuries.

Who will take over as director of the Louvre has not yet been announced. According to French media, the candidacy of the new leader will be approved in the coming days.