The Louvre Museum in Paris has temporarily shut its Campana Gallery after a technical audit revealed serious structural weakness in some of the building’s support beams, the institution announced on Monday.
The report, submitted on Friday, found “particular fragility” in the beams beneath the second floor of the Sully Wing, prompting the museum to restrict access to the first-floor gallery and relocate 65 staff members from the offices above.
The Campana Gallery, home to nine rooms of ancient Greek ceramics, sits directly under these offices. While the gallery’s collections are not being moved at present, the closure is considered a precaution while engineers assess the risk. Union representatives have long raised alarms about the building’s condition. According to Valerie Baud of the CFDT union, staff “didn’t realize it was this bad.”
This development comes shortly after a high-profile break-in at the Louvre, in which thieves made off with French crown jewels. A recent state audit had already flagged neglect of infrastructure and security in favor of art acquisitions and post-COVID projects. Built originally in the 1930s, the Sully Wing’s deteriorating structure underscores long-standing concerns about the museum’s maintenance.
During the investigation, the 65 employees working in the upstairs offices have been temporarily relocated. The museum has not specified how long the investigation will take or when the gallery might reopen.
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