On Sunday morning, in broad daylight, four burglars set out to steal nine precious jewels from one of the most famous art museums in the world, the Louvre. Their faces hidden, they rode an electric ladder (or a monte-meubles) into the second floor before using grinders to break a window; smashing two jewelry cases, they made their way back down into the street and escaped on motorbike, the whole ordeal lasting approximately seven minutes. The heist appears to be the work of professionals and on social media it has been deemed something straight out of a Hollywood movie.
The Louvre, a former royal palace, is a place of great significance to France. Turned into an art museum after the French Revolution, the dazzling building holds more than 33,00 works. These displays range from Ancient Greek sculptures and classical furniture to iconic works like the Mona Lisa, and they symbolize France’s role as a global center of art and culture. The crime is seen as not only an attack on the Louvre, but, as France President Emmanuel Macron put it, “an attack on a heritage we cherish because it is our history.” The president also promised to “recover the works and bring the perpetrators to justice,” and that “everything is being done, everywhere, to achieve this.” A day after the theft, a nationwide manhunt began to find the suspects, who were “last seen speeding southeast on Highway A6 out of Paris and in the direction of Lyon.”
The 19th century jewels that were taken were once the belongings of French royalty or imperialists. According to authorities, they were a crown and brooch owned by Empress Eugenie, a necklace and earrings owned by Empress Marie Louise, a crown, necklace, and single earring owned by Queen Marie-Anne and Queen Hortense, and a brooch called the “reliquary brooch.” The pieces are laden with thousands of intricate diamonds. As the robbers hurried to leave, they dropped one item, the crown belonging to Empress Eugenie, on their escape route. The artifact was severely damaged—prior to its destruction, the crown featured 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds. Authorities have not given an estimated price to the successfully stolen artifacts except Empress Eugenie’s brooch, which is listed as being worth 7.8 million dollars alone. In a statement, the interior ministry made clear that “beyond their market value, these items have inestimable heritage and historical value.”
Following the robbery, the Louvre museum is currently closed and will remain so for another day. The Ministry of Culture has stated that two alarms had rung and the security guards followed the right protocol, which is to prioritize protecting visitors from harm and calling police immediately. While the thieves did not appear to be armed, they made threats to five security guards with angle grinders in the meticulously planned, seven-minute heist. After the crime, France ordered a security review of, not only the Louvre, but other cultural sites in Paris. Some experts who are in the field of recovering lost artwork have pointed out that this heist reveals how susceptible our institutions are to crimes due to governments around the world reducing law enforcement following the COVID-19 pandemic. In any case, the robbery is largely deemed humiliating for the museum and the French government.
While officials hope to recover the jewels, they likely only have a week to do so before they are lost forever. Explained by Dutch art investigator Arthur Bland, “[t]hese crown jewels are so famous, you cannot sell them.” He continues “[t]he only thing they can do is melt the silver and gold down, dismantle the diamonds, [and] try to cut them. That’s the way they will probably disappear forever..” At this stage, investigators believe the heist to be organized crime carried out by experienced burgulars, however their employer and motivations remain unknown. Laure Beccau, the Paris prosecutor, revealed that while inspectors have not abandoned the chance of foreign participation, they are handling it like a domestic crime. With 60 investigators tasked to look through evidence and interrogate witnesses, France—and the world—desperately hopes the criminals will be brought to justice.
