- Title: France's Macron names new director of Louvre
- Date: 25th February 2026
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- Keywords: Christophe Leribault Laurence des Cars Louvre Museum Louvre director
- Location: PARIS AND VERSAILLES, FRANCE
- City: PARIS AND VERSAILLES, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Europe
- Reuters ID: LVA001845725022026RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: SEE EDIT 8253-FRANCE-LOUVRE/RESIGNATION-FILE FOR ADDITIONAL LOUVRE AND DES CARS FILE
France on Wednesday appointed Christophe Leribault as the new head of the Louvre, bringing in the director of the Palace of Versailles to turn around the world's most-visited museum after a humiliating jewelry heist and staff strikes.
Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon said Leribault would be tasked with major projects including the securisation and modernisation of the Louvre.
Outgoing director Laurence Des Cars, whose resignation Macron accepted on Tuesday (February 24) has faced intense criticism since burglars made off in October with jewels worth an estimated $102 million that are still missing, exposing glaring security gaps at the museum.
Leribault , 62, is an 18th‑century art historian who previously led Paris' Musée d’Orsay and the Orangerie before taking over at Versailles in 2024. He will leave the Versailles job to take up the Louvre role.
He was deputy director of the Louvre's department of graphic arts from 2006 to 2012, the ministry said.
As well as the heist, strikes over pay and work conditions have repeatedly shut the Louvre since mid‑December, while water leaks and a ticket‑fraud probe that prosecutors say siphoned more than 10 million euros over a decade have also cast a shadow over one of Paris' top tourist attractions.
A state auditors' report last year urged management at the Louvre, home to Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, to redirect spending from acquisitions to overdue security and infrastructure upgrades.
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