What to Know About the Brazen Louvre Heist

By Bhoomika P. ‘27

Four men. 8 minutes. The heist of the century. 

On Sunday, October 19th, several men broke into the Louvre and stole eight French crown jewels from the Galerie D’Apolon. These jewels once belonged to several French aristocrats, such as Napoleon and his wives. The gallery has now been shut down since the theft, and police have surrounded the scene. But how did the Louvre, one of the world’s most heavily guarded museums, get broken into? Here’s the rundown.  

The gang reportedly appeared at 9:30 a.m., shortly after the museum opened. They arrived well equipped with a vehicle-mounted mechanical lift, which they used to gain access to the gallery via a balcony close to the River Seine. 

Two of the thieves were then able to break in, using a disc cutter to burn through the glass windows. After entering, they used that same power tool to threaten the security guards, who evacuated the premises, before cutting through the display and pocketing the jewelry. They made a quick exit and managed to escape on two scooters, only 8 minutes after their original arrival. 

Although technically considered “commodity theft,” the heist sent shock waves through Paris’ art sphere. The idea that the security of the Louvre was bypassed left many French people worried and uncertain about the quality of the security in the first place. Art investigator Arthur Brand stated, "If you target the Louvre, the most important museum in the world, and then get away with the French crown jewels, something was wrong with security." 

Shortcomings have been pointed out in the past, and this heist seems to be just the latest in a series of incidents. Labor unions at the Louvre said they had warned that continual renovations, repair work, and scaffolding for fund-raising events within or around the museum made it hard for employees to spot suspicious behavior. 

On Monday, a report ordered by the French national auditor on the Louvre’s security was leaked to French news outlets, stating that 75% of the Louvre’s Richelieu wing had not been covered by video surveillance and that a third of the rooms in the Denon wing had no surveillance cameras. That wing is where the burglars struck, although officials claim that the refurbished gallery they targeted did have cameras. 

Still, several experts noted that it is difficult to protect a medieval palace-turned-museum that was not originally designed to house tens of thousands of precious artworks, nor to welcome nearly nine million visitors a year.

Now, the most we can assume of what has happened with the jewelry is also, unfortunately, quite a cynical outcome. Experts say that it’s unlikely that the thieves kept the jewelry in its original state– selling the pieces as they were stolen would be foolish, as they are listed by museum, royal, and imperial inventories. 

They say that the most likely scenario is that the jewelry will be dismantled or melted down before being resold, garnering a price point at around $13.4 million (€11.52 million). 

What is certain is that many in France are deeply shocked by the Louvre heist, having felt an emotional attachment to the jewels.

*Editor’s update: Five suspects have been arrested in relation to the Louvre Heist, eleven days after the crime took place. The stolen jewels have not been discovered.