The Louvre museum is struggling to find funding to upgrade its ageing facilities, its new director said Wednesday, following a litany of problems that included a brazen $100-million jewellery heist.
"Despite its imposing majesty, despite the daily commitment of its staff, the Louvre is running out of steam," Christophe Leribault told a Senate committee.
"Its equipment and infrastructure are reaching the end of their life cycle."
Watch more The Louvre heist: Security flaws and deeper cracks at France's top museum
Leribault, an art historian and museum director specialising in 18th-century art, took the helm in February, after his predecessor stepped down following an embarrassing daylight theft of imperial jewels in October that laid bare severe security failings.
Home to iconic pieces of art including Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa", the Louvre is the world's most visited museum, receiving around nine million visitors a year.
It is housed in a vast palace in central Paris on the banks of the Seine River, built over centuries by various French monarchs who at times used it as their official residence.
"Building-related emergencies are piling up, and we're facing a wall in terms of investments," Leribault said.
French President Emmanuel Macron last year announced a sweeping overhaul for the Louvre that would include a new space for the Mona Lisa and a new museum entrance.
Macron's aides have said the project is expected to cost from €700 million to €800 million ($730 to 830 million). But the French Court of Auditors has put the price tag at €1.15 billion.
Under the plan, Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece – which attracts around 20,000 visitors a day – will be independently accessible from the rest of the museum, with a separate ticket to see it.
The museum has recently struggled with repeated strikes causing loss of revenue, a ticket fraud scheme that may have cost the museum €10 million ($11.7 million), a water leak and other maintenance issues.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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