Water leak in the Louvre damages hundreds of works, museum says | Paris

A water leak in late November damaged several hundred works in the Louvre’s Egyptian section, the Paris museum said on Sunday, weeks after a brazen jewel theft raised concerns about its infrastructure.

Francis Steinbock, deputy director of the museum, stated that “between 300 and 400 works” were affected by the leak that appeared on November 26, describing them as “Egyptian science journals” and “scientific documents” used by researchers.

Steinbock added that the damaged items date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and are “extremely useful” but “not unique by any means.”

“No historical artifacts were affected by this damage,” he said. “At this stage, we have no irreparable and definitive loss in these collections.”

The incident follows a burglary in October when a gang of four broke into the world’s most visited art museum in broad daylight, stealing jewelery worth an estimated $102 million (£76.5 million) in just seven minutes before escaping. This led to a debate about the museum’s aging infrastructure.

The Louvre said it would conduct an internal investigation into the November leak, which saw a valve in the heating and ventilation system accidentally open, causing water to seep through the ceiling of the Mollien wing where books were stored.

The museum director added that the “completely outdated” system has been shut down for months and should be replaced from September 2026.

Steinbock said the works “will be dried, sent to the binder to be restored, and then returned to the shelves.”

In late November, the Louvre said it would increase ticket prices for most non-EU visitors, meaning US, British and Chinese tourists, among others, would have to pay €32 (£28) to get in.

The museum said the 45% price increase is intended to increase annual revenues by up to $23 million to fund structural improvements.

The Louvre hosted 8.7 million visitors in 2024, 69% of whom were from abroad.