Louvre Director Laurence des Cars Resigns Four Months After the Crown Jewels Heist

Laurence des Cars has resigned as president and director of the Louvre, four months after thieves took the French crown jewels from the world’s most-visited museum. French President Emmanuel Macron accepted her resignation on Tuesday (Feb. 24), his office said, calling it “an act of responsibility.”

The Associated Press reports that the thieves took less than eight minutes in October to steal 88 million euros (about $102 million) in jewels, and NBC News notes the stolen items have not been recovered. Des Cars, named to the job in 2021 and the first woman to lead the Louvre, offered to resign on the day of the robbery, but the culture minister refused. “I saw a tragic, brutal, violent reality for the Louvre, and as the person in charge, after all the hard work done by the teams that day — it felt right to offer my resignation,” she said in November.

What Macron’s office said

an act of responsibility at a time when the world’s largest museum needs calm and a strong new impetus to carry out major projects involving security upgrades, modernization

Statement from Emmanuel Macron’s office, The Associated Press, via CFJC

The statement said Macron thanked des Cars for “her work and commitment” and wants to give her a new mission focused on cooperation among major museums.

Why it matters

The heist was the loudest of a string of crises. Hyperallergic lists a leak that damaged hundreds of 19th-century Egyptology books, strikes over staffing and working conditions that have forced closures, a second leak that damaged a ceiling painting and a decade-long ticket-fraud scheme that police say cost about 10 million euros. NBC adds that many in France’s cultural world had asked why no top official had fallen after the robbery.

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In her resignation notice to staff, des Cars said she had warned throughout her tenure that the museum’s infrastructure was outdated. Hyperallergic quotes her:

How can we transform the Louvre without providing it with the resources to achieve its ambitions?

Laurence des Cars, Hyperallergic

Her notice began: “Through both hardship and success, directing the Louvre has been the honor of my professional life.” Her plan for the museum, “Nouvelle Renaissance,” budgeted at 700 million euros, would add new entry points and a separate room for the Mona Lisa. Dozens of museum directors, including the heads of the Met, Tate and the National Gallery of Art, had signed a letter of support for her after the heist, per Hyperallergic.

What’s next

No successor had been named, and Hyperallergic said interim leadership had yet to be announced when it published. Macron’s office said the museum’s security and modernization projects, including the Nouvelle Renaissance plan, are what the next leader will have to see through. In other art-world news this week, Frieze Los Angeles opens on Thursday.

Added to the High Grailed archive on October 12, 2026.