In a note dated January 13 addressed to the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, revealed by the daily newspaper Le Parisien and which AFP was able to consult, the leader deplores "the multiplication of breakdowns in spaces that are sometimes very degraded", "the obsolescence (of) technical equipment", as well as "worrying variations in temperatures endangering the state of conservation of the works".
"It is my duty as president to raise awareness of these issues and I have already done so on numerous occasions," she told a few journalists on Thursday, on the sidelines of the presentation of a new exhibition.
While the room that houses the Mona Lisa, admired every day by around 20.000 visitors, is not affected by the damage, this is not the case for other parts of the building in the Sully wing (east side), a source close to the case confirmed to AFP. This vast space, which is spread over four levels, houses masterpieces by Chardin and Watteau.
Flooded room
In November 2023, an exhibition of drawings by Claude Gillot had to be closed and moved after a few days due to flooding in the Clock Room, according to the museum. Other temporary room closures have gone less noticeable.
Asked by AFP, the Élysée Palace indicated that the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron had been "alerted" and that he had "spoken several times with the minister and the museum management". He "will speak soon", added a source close to the case.
In her note, Laurence des Cars also mentions the glass pyramid, inaugurated in 1988 and "structurally outdated" in a building designed to welcome four million visitors per year but which welcomed nearly nine million in 2024 (including nearly 80% foreign tourists) and ten million before the Covid crisis.
Other complaints include the lack of relaxation and catering areas, as well as toilets that fall short of international standards.
The museum is "far from living up to its universal influence," Christian Galani, a member of the national office of the CGT Culture union, of which he is a representative at the Louvre, lamented to AFP.
According to him, "not a day goes by without noticing the deterioration of the building, with peeling paint, rooms, storage rooms and work spaces sometimes flooded, power cuts and late payments to service providers due to lack of budget."
Temperatures
"Due to a lack of staff, rooms are regularly closed and the working conditions of the agents are deteriorating with temperatures sometimes reaching 10-12 degrees in winter, and more than 30 degrees in summer," said Mr. Galani, denouncing the elimination of "more than 200 jobs in ten years."
At least "100 million euros of investment would be necessary, particularly for priority restoration work, of which only 26 million are assured in 2024, the rest having to be spread out until 2032, due to lack of budget", another source close to the matter told AFP.
In 2024, the Louvre received 96 million euros in state subsidies, according to the Ministry of Culture, a decrease according to figures provided by the museum (103 million in 2023 and 111 million in 2022).
In 2023, it generated 161 million euros in revenues of its own (compared to 141 million in 2022) thanks to ticketing, sponsorship and the rental of its spaces. Added to this is 83 million euros of revenues from its brand license, including the Louvre Abu Dhabi. All the figures for 2024 have not yet been made public.
Like many public institutions, the Louvre is increasingly relying on its own resources, with increased privatization of its spaces, including the Salle des Etats (which houses the Mona Lisa), and is seeking to increase those from patronage.
On March 4, the museum will host its annual fundraising dinner for patrons, modeled on the Met Gala in New York, and will hopefully feature a host of international celebrities, including the faces of major fashion houses.
The Minister of Culture, interviewed by the press in Paris, also mentioned her plan to increase prices for non-European tourists. "I wanted a differentiated pricing policy," she said, with the aim of implementing the policy on January 1, 2026.