French auditor's report raps Louvre for excessive art acquisitions even as most rooms lacked cameras

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: Nov 06, 2025 7:18 AM EST | Last Updated: November 6

France's Louvre Museum began a information audit a decennary ago, but the recommended upgrades volition not beryllium completed until 2032, the authorities auditor said successful a study connected Thursday compiled earlier a spectacular heist determination past month.

The daylight robbery, successful which 4 robbers made disconnected with jewels worthy $143 cardinal Cdn, raised doubts implicit the credibility of the world's most-visited depository arsenic a guardian for its myriad works. Officials person admitted information was not up to scratch.

While investigators person charged 4 suspects for engagement successful the raid, the treasures person yet to beryllium recovered.

Excerpts from the report, which was published connected Thursday by the nationalist audit office, known arsenic the Cour des Comptes, had already leaked successful the media days aft the raid.

Only 39 per cent of the museum's rooms had cameras arsenic of 2024, the study said, and a information audit begun successful 2015, which recovered the depository was not sufficiently monitored oregon prepared for a crisis, lone led to a tender for information works astatine the extremity of past year.

"It volition instrumentality respective years to implicit the project, which, according to the museum, is not expected to beryllium finished until 2032," the study said.

It said the museum's inability to update its infrastructure was exacerbated by excessive spending to bargain artwork, lone a 4th of which is exposed to the public, and post-pandemic relaunch projects, arsenic good arsenic inefficiencies and summons fraud.

Even the improvement initiatives it announced this twelvemonth were not based connected feasibility studies, whether method oregon financial, and did not see staffing needs, the study said.

'Chronic underinvestment' successful security

The study provided 10 recommendations including a driblet successful the fig of acquisitions by the museum, an summation successful its summons prices and a refurbishment of its integer infrastructure and governance.

In the look of a "chronic underinvestment successful accusation systems," the auditor said, "the depository indispensable fortify its interior power function, which remains underdeveloped for an instauration the size of the Louvre."

WATCH | What's known astir however thieves made disconnected with jewels:

The theft lone reinforces immoderate of the considerations made successful the report, the auditor's caput Pierre Moscovici told journalists connected Thursday.

"The theft of the crown jewels was without a uncertainty a deafening alarm bell: this gait [of information upgrades] is acold from sufficient," Moscovici said. "The authorities are present realizing that they person heard these alarm bells."

He said the Louvre has capable funds for the upgrades needed, and "now it indispensable bash truthful without fail."

WATCH | See immoderate of the jewels, necklaces that are missing:

After the robbery, French officials said the Louvre would present other security, including anti-intrusion devices and anti-vehicle ramming barriers connected adjacent nationalist roads, by the extremity of the year.

In January, amid increasing complaints astir disarray astatine the museum, France launched an ambitious improvement task involving a caller abstraction dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, the world's astir celebrated painting, and caller information steps to support its visitors and precious exhibits.

In written remarks published by the audit office, Culture Minister Rachida Dati said she agreed connected the urgency of the method enactment and reiterated calls for swift corrective measures.

Louvre manager Laurence des Cars said successful the aforesaid papers she supported astir of the auditor's recommendations but insisted the museum's semipermanent translation program is indispensable to code its structural challenges.