Louvre president warns museum could close without €1 billion renovation

In an interview with Le Figaro, Leribault said the Louvre risks losing its standing before ultimately having to “close its doors to the public,” which he called “a disaster.” He described the world’s most visited museum as “in very poor condition” and “completely overcrowded.” Leribault, who took over in February, said the €1 billion ($1.1 billion) project, dubbed Louvre New Renaissance and launched by President Emmanuel Macron in 2025, includes renovating the museum, building a new entrance and creating a gallery for the Mona Lisa. Completion could take 12 to 15 years, and the museum draws nearly nine million visitors a year. He appealed to the government that takes office after France’s presidential election, “whoever it may be,” to support the transformation.

The warning came nearly a year after the 19 October 2025 burglary in which eight crown jewels valued at around $100 million were stolen. Four suspected robbers have been arrested, but the jewels have not been found. The fallout led to the resignation of former Louvre president Laurence des Cars and a series of emergency measures. Leribault said strengthening security requires work on the historic building and its infrastructure.

Security plan

On security, Leribault said work on the museum’s €83 million security master plan was “moving ahead rapidly.” The Louvre has installed perimeter cameras, secured access points and begun renovating its security control centre, he told AFP. The museum has pledged to invest around €20 million a year until 2032 and has had a dedicated security chief since July. The €83 million plan is less than a tenth of the €1 billion renovation estimate. “The Louvre needs a cultural shift regarding security, a process that has yet to happen and will take several years,” Laurent Lafon, chair of the Senate’s culture committee, told AFP.

Funding

The museum has an annual budget of €330 million, nearly €100 million of it state-funded. Anadolu Agency put Leribault’s donor target at €360 million from French and international donors; AFP said he would seek around €330 million from private sources to help finance the wider programme. Both figures are about a third of the €1 billion estimate and represent a contribution to the programme, not the full cost. The €1 billion estimate is separate from that annual budget. No donor commitments had been signed, though Leribault told Le Figaro foreign donors were ready to support the museum.

Leribault did not rule out another increase in admission prices, provided it remained “very reasonable.” Ticket prices for non-European visitors rose this year from €22 to €32. At the beginning of October, the Louvre launched a public fundraising appeal seeking €800,000 to renovate the Cour du Sphinx, and its annual gala raised €1.6 million in 2026.

Union opposition

The CGT union opposes the project. Christian Galani, a union representative, told AFP that it fails to address actual priorities and envisions an unsustainable increase in visitor numbers. Staff staged a walkout over working conditions and infrastructure, with demands that plans for a new entrance and wider refurbishments be cut, Archinect reported.

Leribault said the renovation was the “only way forward if we want to secure the Louvre’s future.”