Directors and curators from museums around the world have expressed their solidarity with the Louvre's director and staff following the robbery earlier this month.
On 19 October, eight pieces of jewellery valued at €88m were stolen from the Louvre's Galerie d'Apollon by four thieves in a seven-minute daytime raid.
Since then, the Louvre's director Laurence des Cars has acknowledged a "terrible failure" at the Paris-based museum.
In an open letter published in Le Monde this week, 57 curators and directors have voiced their support for des Cars and the Louvre.
The signatories to the open letter include Nicholas Cullinan, director of the British Museum in London, and Suhanya Raffel, director of M+ in Hong Kong.
They also include Taco Dibbits, director general of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, and Max Hollein, head of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
"This act has shaken us to the core," the open letter reads.
Museums are accessible spaces, says open letter
Museums across the world "face unprecedented attacks", it adds.
"The event that occurred last Sunday is what all museum professionals dread: the robbery of the common heritage we strive to preserve and share as widely as possible," says the letter.
"Museums are places of transmission and wonder. They offer all visitors opportunities for contemplation and moments of joy."
It adds, "Museums are not strongholds nor are they secret vaults. Their essence while creating the safest environment for art and its audiences lies in their openness and accessibility."
In the letter, the curators and directors expressed their "heartfelt support" to the Louvre's staff and director, "whose leadership and dedication to the mission of museums... are deeply respected and admired".
They added, “This heist is not only an attack on the Louvre, but on all museums and their fundamental mission: to share our common heritage as broadly as possible.
"We will pursue this mission, with passion and determination, alongside the Louvre.”
Images courtesy of the Louvre
