Photo: Benh (CC BY-SA 3.0)
In September 2024, we met with Laurence des Cars to ask her about the pharaonic works that were being prepared at the Louvre, in particular the Perrault colonnade entrance project, which we were told would cost 500 million euros (without this figure ever being detailed). She replied, but told us that her comments were off the record. Now that they’ve been published everywhere in the press, it’s clear that this off-the-record statement is no longer valid.
What she told us corresponds exactly to the information that has "filtered out": the Louvre is in a disastrous state, posing a threat to the works of art, and in need of major renovation. The new entrance would be just one part of this project, which would also include a new room for the Mona Lisa, under the Cour Carrée.
Le Parisien published last Wednesday an article on a "confidential" report sent by the president of the Louvre to the Minister of Culture. We have no formal proof of this, but all those in the know believe, as we do, that it was a communication operation mounted by the Louvre in conjunction with the Élysée Palace. Indeed, on Friday, Emmanuel Macron announced that he would be speaking on the subject on site at the Musée du Louvre.
The timing speaks for itself: the confidential memo - to the Minister - is dated January 13, while just nine days later, on January 22, the document leaked to the press, and on January 24 the President of the Republic announced that he would speak on January 28! No one can believe that all this is not the fruit of long reflection, especially as these construction projects have been mooted for at least two years (we spoke about them in this article of May 23, 2023).
So let’s assume that the museum really is in the disastrous state denounced by Laurence des Cars. This would mean that during his presidency, Jean-Luc Martinez (and perhaps even his predecessor, Henri Loyrette) would have neglected the building’s upkeep. This wouldn’t surprise us too much, given the needless and costly work he carried out. But what has Laurence des Cars done in the three and a half years she’s been at the helm of the Louvre? We have reported that she has reversed several of Jean-Luc Martinez’s decisions, completely redoing the Etruscan room (formerly the bronze room) and restoring the vocation of the Pavillon de l’Horloge (see article), which had been distorted by Jean-Luc Martinez, among other projects. But was it a priority if the Louvre is in such a state? And why hasn’t anything been done, in over three years, about the renovation work she claims is so urgent?
According to the Sud union, which has issued two press releases, the ten-year maintenance plan has not been followed since her arrival, but we have not been able to document this. On the other hand, it is possible to question two points, one concerning expenditure, the other income. And on both points, we have not received satisfactory answers from the museum.
First point: expenses (including the cost of going back over Jean-Luc Martinez’s work). If the situation is so tense, why multiply events like the one organized for the end of the exhibition devoted to the figure of the Fou? What’s the connection between this "exceptional night", which featured a host of events including a concert by Zaho de Sagazan (who certainly didn’t come free of charge), and the Louvre’s missions? Particularly when it comes to saving money. The Louvre proudly boasts that these events "help bring new visitors to the museum (many young people, Parisians and people from the Ile-de-France)". For example, there was recently "a "night" to close the exhibition "Les Choses" and then the exhibition "Naples in Paris"".
Moreover, was it really necessary to launch the new Byzantine department (certainly useful, but shouldn’t it have been postponed until more auspicious days?) or to renovate the Islamic Arts department, which only dates back to 2013?
Is it really essential to have a "large temporary exhibition space", as Laurence des Cars demanded before the French National Assembly’s Cultural Affairs Commission last April [1]? It’s true that the rooms under the pyramid are insufficient for major retrospectives. But why deprive ourselves of the Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, whose rooms were once devoted to such exhibitions? Once again, this expense is not a priority.
Second point: revenue. Unless we are mistaken or omitted, Laurence des Cars has benefited, or will benefit since her arrival at the Louvre, from the following considerable sums [2] :
– 165 million euros negotiated by Jean-Luc Martinez with Abu Dhabi for the use of the Louvre "brand" for a further ten years; in her mind, this money was intended for the acquisition of Rembrandt’s Standard Bearer, but Laurence des Cars gave it up. The money is now available.
– 85 million has been received by the Louvre in 2022 under the first treaty with Abu Dhabi,
– A further 85 million will be received in 2027 under the same agreement,
– The endowment fund brings in around 12 to 15 million euros for the Louvre, which it can use for works; this allows it at the very least to borrow 150 million over ten years to carry them out.
This brings the total to 485 million, to which must be added the state’s subsidies (almost 100 million a year). But what maintenance work has the Louvre carried out since its arrival in 2022? According to the unions, almost none. And yet, some improvements are not really expensive. The "confidential" memo states, for example, that "visitors have no space where they can take a break". Seating at the Louvre is too sparse and often very uncomfortable. Why not increase the number of seats and sofas, so that visitors can sit comfortably in a room, in front of the works? The National Gallery in London and the Metropolitan Museum in New York, to name but two, don’t have "spaces for taking a break", but their visits are infinitely more pleasant than those of the Louvre.
So what will Emmanuel Macron announce next Tuesday? And with what money? None of this bodes well.