Louvre director Laurence des Cars has resigned, four months after the high-profile theft of €88 million worth of jewellery from the institution.
Des Cars, who had offered to step down in the immediate aftermath of the robbery, submitted her resignation to French president Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday (24 February).
Macron praised her decision, calling it "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”.
During a seven-minute raid of the Louvre's Galerie d'Apollon in October, thieves stole eight pieces of jewellery, including a diamond and emerald necklace that Emperor Napoleon gave to his wife.
The burglary took place in broad daylight as four masked thieves used a truck equipped with a mechanical lift to gain access to the gallery via a balcony close to the River Seine.
A parliamentary inquiry into the failures is under way, with its findings due out in May.
However, a preliminary report released last week pointed to "systemic failures" that led to the break-in (via Le Monde).
Report points to "systemic failures"
Since the robbery, the Louvre has faced a series of setbacks, the most recent being a water leak that damaged a 19th-century ceiling painting.
This came a day after French police reportedly detained nine people, including two museum staff and several tour guides, over a suspected ticket fraud plot.
The alleged operation is thought to have defrauded the museum of more than €10m (£8.7m) over the past decade.
In November, a water leak damaged hundreds of items in the Louvre's Egyptian department, and a gallery of nine rooms was later closed due to ceiling safety issues.
Staff at the museum have been taking strike action, demanding building maintenance and staffing increases, and protesting against a rise in ticket prices for most non-EU visitors.
Adding to these issues, 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
