One of the most sensitive moments for the security of a museum is when works are being carried out or in those exhibitions that are crowded with the public and we must not forget that the Louvre is the most visited museum in the world. We live in a time when the unimaginable is possible. And the Louvre has failed in something essential: reading the time in which it lives, a time in which nothing can be taken for granted. The collections are not safe. The National Police when carrying out a construction project in Spain and making a stop, in a restaurant or similar, places the vehicle in front of the window. It is the way to never lose sight of the art it carries. The responsibility is enormous. And they communicate via WhatsApp at certain established times: if there is no response, you know there are problems.
Now the Louvre, which is about to embark on a complex remodeling, has lost (hopefully momentarily) nine pieces from the imperial collections. Between 9:30 and 9:40 a.m. this Sunday, three or four hooded men stole nine pieces of jewelry, one of which was later recovered, according to the Paris prosecutor.
The recovered relic, the crown of Empress Eugenie, has been found nearby with some damage. The Minister of the Interior, Laurent Núñez, described the looting as a “theft of great magnitude” and has assured that it involves “jewels of incalculable value.” What is incalculable is the lack of security and anticipation at the Gallic art gallery. It is a robbery by opportunity.
The thieves have acted following a precise plan and executed it in a very short time. Once inside they have obtained them with hammer blows or with any similar instrument. The thieves have taken nine pieces from the imperial collection, but they have not taken the Regent diamond. A 140-carat gem that could have been transformed into smaller, easier-to-place pieces. These details indicate that theft is a response to the ease of committing it. The thieves were not sure what to take. Whatever would give those few minutes margin. In a museum like the Louvre, any thief can take forever.
The French authorities must do a deep reflection. Getting to the heart of the Louvre has been very easy. Nobody has used technology or sophisticated tools. The ease hurts. Several mallets or similar have been used to break the display cases. And what happened to the alarms?
France has failed miserably in the care of its heritage. The first option is to request a ransom for those pieces. Custom thefts usually involve painting. That’s an unwritten rule in the darkest corners of art. But it is also a lesson that in this day and age nothing can be taken for granted. If in May 1968 young people raised the tiles of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood because they claimed that the sea was underneath, today neglecting the custody of the works leads to situations like this. A loss of “priceless jewels”.