Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Louvre Closes Campana Gallery, Evacuates Offices After Audit Flags Structural Fragility

The museum is also overhauling surveillance following last month’s jewel theft.

Overview

  • A technical report presented on November 14 identified particular weakness in beams supporting the second floor of the Sully wing’s south side.
  • The museum has blocked access to the affected second-floor offices and will relocate about 65 employees for three days while experts assess the structure.
  • The Campana Gallery on the first floor, which comprises nine rooms of ancient Greek ceramics beneath the offices, is shut to visitors as a precaution with no reopening date announced.
  • Louvre officials cite the building’s complex design and 1930s alterations as contributing factors and have ordered complementary studies to determine necessary remediation.
  • Security upgrades are being accelerated after the October 19 Apollo Gallery heist of eight imperial jewels valued at over $100 million, with several arrests reported, three suspects indicted and jailed, and the stolen pieces still missing.