Sawt Falasteen - France appoints new Louvre chief after jewellery heist

Christophe Leribault replaced Laurence des Cars as the Louvre chief, with government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon saying he would "lead major projects for the institution's future" such as security and modernisation.

Leribault will have to "restore a climate of trust", said the culture ministry.

News of Leribault's appointment got a cautious welcome from one union leader at the Louvre.

As director of the Louvre, Leribault will seek to turn around the fortunes of the vast former royal palace.

Apart from the embarrassing theft of French crown jewels in October, the museum has struggled with strikes, a ticket fraud scheme that may have cost the museum 10 million euros ($11.7 million), a water leak and structural, maintenance and security issues.

The museum has been forced to close four times due to strikes since December, costing around two million euros in lost revenue.

Leribault, 62, is an art historian and museum director specialising in 18th-century art.

He has already led some prestigious Paris institutions, including the Petit Palais, and the Musee d'Orsay, which hosts the world's largest collection of Impressionist paintings.

Des Cars handed in her resignation to President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, having served since 2021, the first woman to take the role. But she had been under rising pressure since last October's robbery.

While four suspects are in police custody, including the two suspected thieves, the eight stolen items are yet to be recovered.

Lawmaker Alexandre Portier, who heads a committee investigating museum security, said the Louvre had over the years become a "state within a state" over which the authorities no longer had sufficient control.

- 'Great curator' -

French daily Le Monde said the departure of des Cars became "inevitable" following the robbery and the strikes demanding more staff, pay and better maintenance of the museum.

"Since the theft on October 19, 2025, we have been caught up in a media and political storm of unprecedented proportions," des Cars told Le Figaro newspaper.

She said she was proud of the work she had accomplished at the Louvre.

"But staying the course is not enough," the 59-year-old added. "You also need to be able to move forward. And the conditions for moving forward are no longer in place."

The Louvre, home to iconic pieces of art including Leonardo Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa", receives around nine million visitors a year.

Leribault was appointed president of the Palace of Versailles, one of the most coveted jobs in French culture, in 2024.

The palace, which was built by Louis XIV in the 17th century, hosted competitions for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The mayor of Versailles said he was sorry to see Leribault go.

"He is someone who is highly appreciated, warm in character, and a great curator," Francois de Mazieres told AFP.

Trade unions welcomed the replacement of the Louvre president.

"We need social calm," Valerie Baud of the CFDT union told AFP, adding that talks with the previous management were at a dead end.

Gary Guillaud, the Louvre's CGT union representative, said he had observed "the quality" of dialogue between management and staff at the Palace of Versailles and expressed hope Leribault would maintain that approach in his new role.

N.Awad--SF-PST