The director of the Louvre has warned the French government about leaks, overcrowding and sub-standard catering in a leaked memo that has raised alarm about the state of the world’s most-visited museum.
Laurence des Cars, the first woman to head the gallery, wrote a confidential note about her concerns to the culture minister, Rachida Dati, earlier this month which was published on Thursday in Le Parisien newspaper.
In it, Des Cars warned about the “proliferation of damage in museum spaces, some of which are in very poor condition”.
Furthermore, some areas “are no longer watertight, while others experience significant temperature variations, endangering the preservation of artworks”, she added.
Noting the French government’s budget problems and the imminent closure of the Pompidou museum for renovations, Des Cars said the Louvre nonetheless required an overhaul that would likely be costly and technically complicated.
A total of 8.7 million people visited its famed galleries last year – about twice the number it was designed for – and Des Cars expressed concern about the quality of the user experience.
The Louvre’s popularity was causing a “physical strain” on the historic building, while visitors lack spaces “to take a break”, she wrote.
“The food options and restroom facilities are insufficient in volume, falling well below international standards. The signage needs a complete redesign,” the memo continued.
Even the museum’s most modern addition –a glass pyramid designed by Chinese-American architect Ieoh Ming Pei and inaugurated in 1989 –came in for severe criticism because of its “major shortcomings”.
It was used by President Emmanuel Macron for a state dinner ahead of the opening of the Paris Olympics last July, but Des Cars said it became like a greenhouse on hot days and became “inhospitable” as well as being noisy.
Like other major European cities, Paris has seen international tourism rebound strongly after the Covid pandemic of 2020-2021.
About 70% of visitors to the Louvre last year were foreigners.
Tourists have long complained about the queues to view Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, which is the most popular attraction in the museum and displayed in its largest room.
The memo stressed the need to “reassess” how the masterpiece is presented to the public, with Des Cars saying last year that it needed its own dedicated room.
Since taking over as boss of the institution in 2021, Des Cars has spoken out publicaly about the museum reaching “saturation point.”
One of her first major measures was to impose a cap on visitors of 30,000 a day and extend opening hours.
She has also backed an idea to create a second entrance other than the pyramid to “irrigate” the rest of the museum.
The modern art Pompidou museum, originally opened in 1977, is closing for a €262m ($272m), five-year refit from September 2025.
