Christophe Leribault has been appointed as the new director of the Louvre, replacing Laurence Des Cars, who resigned earlier this week.
Currently the director of the Palace of Versailles, Leribault was chosen by the French president, Emmanuel Macron.
An art historian, Leribault previously led the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée de l’Orangerie, both in Paris, before joining the Palace of Versailles in 2024.
His appointment at the Louvre comes four months after the high-profile theft of €88 million worth of jewellery from the institution.
During a seven-minute raid of the Louvre's Galerie d'Apollon in October, thieves stole eight pieces of jewellery,
"Leribault's priority will be to strengthen the safety and security of the building, the collections, and people, to restore a climate of trust, and to carry forward, together with all the teams, the necessary transformations for the museum," France's culture ministry said in a statement.
New leader for crisis-hit Louvre museum
Des Cars, who had offered to step down in the immediate aftermath of the robbery, submitted her resignation to Macron on Tuesday (24 February).
Macron praised her decision and described it as "an act of responsibility", the Elysée Palace said.
He said the Louvre needed “calm and a strong new impetus to successfully carry out major projects involving security and modernisation”.
Following the daylight break-in at the Louvre, the museum has faced a series of setbacks, including water leaks, a suspected ticket fraud plot, and ceiling safety issues.
In response, staff at the museum have been striking over building maintenance and staffing increases, as well as a rise in ticket prices for most non-EU visitors.
Adding to these difficulties, activists on Sunday (22 February) hung a photo in the Louvre of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor being driven from a police station after his arrest.
Images courtesy of the Louvre
