Louvre Heist Shines Spotlight on Security Concerns

Entering the world’s most-visited art institution in the middle of the day, grabbing eight pieces of priceless historical gems and disappearing into Paris traffic on simple scooters may seem like the most audacious of crimes, carried out for global fame and ensuing Hollywood film treatments.

Experts who observe trends in global cultural theft, however, see the recent robbery at the Louvre as something more prosaic: the latest in a string of quick-hit thefts centered more on the monetary worth of precious stones or metals than the artifacts’ significance, perpetuating a trend that has appeared over the last ten years in Europe, the UK and the US. The location, they propose, would have been of secondary concern to the thieves.

“One might wonder why thieves who want to take expensive jewellery are entering a globally renowned museum rather than a luxury jewelry store,” stated an expert in art recovery. “The answer is simple: it’s because these days a high-end boutique is more secure.”

A series of violent retail store thefts indicate that many outlets have strengthened their security in the past few years, with armed guards on their locations and wares no longer kept on display overnight. Cultural institutions, meanwhile, look more exposed, in part because of the inherent factor of being accessible institutions in older structures, and also the financial situation in many western countries.

“After the pandemic, governments across the globe have cut back on police and the culture sector,” noted Marinello. “If thieves can get into the Louvre, it demonstrates how at risk our institutions have become. This is a horrible time to be a museum.”

The theft of the objects – including necklaces made up of eight sapphires and hundreds of gems, the tiara of a historical figure containing thousands of diamonds and a hugely valuable crown once owned by a royal that the robbers dropped by the street on their way out – has naturally been compared with the historical theft of the famous painting from the Louvre, performed by the worker Vincenzo Peruggia.

More relevant comparisons may be the recent burglary of jewellery from Dresden’s Green Vault Museum worth over €113m, the taking of a multi-million pound gold toilet from Blenheim Palace the same year, the recent heist of a large gold coin from Berlin’s Bode Museum or even a spate of thefts of sports memorabilia from US mining museums.

“There’s a simple pattern here,” explained Marinello. “Smash, grab, and melt it down as quickly as possible.”

If the items were to remain intact, specialists say, the thieves would find it hard to sell them. “It's impossible to trade something as recognizable as the Louvre’s jewels on the licit market”, said Lynda Albertson of the Association for Research into Crimes against Art.

“They would be immediately recognised, particularly given the cultural authorities has published photos of the pieces. Even a individual buyer or an auction house would want to see paperwork establishing proper ownership before handling such remarkable pieces.”

In the previous years, institutions were often reluctant to go public about the loss of famous works of art and would remain quiet out of shame. Now, as cultural robberies are more widely publicised, the keeping and sale of stolen art is dangerous for any lawbreaker.

“Taking a Picasso, it has to stay complete or it becomes worthless, and you have to devise a scheme to conceal it, maybe by passing it around dangerous individuals,” noted Marinello. “There's ongoing risk to the danger of an partner informing authorities to collect a ransom.”

For similar reasons, an investigator said it was highly improbable that the theft had been commissioned. “Commissioned theft is something from Hollywood movies,” he said. “No one would handle these items. It’s all around the world and in all the newspapers. If you acquire these, if you get caught, you end up in prison. You cannot show it to your acquaintances, you cannot bequeath it to your children.”

Modifying stolen works by melting down or re-cutting does reduce the worth. When it comes to gems, it also comes with significant danger because modern cutting techniques give gems a bigger and lighter appearance, and older-style stones would either draw unwanted attention or barter the price down for a concealment.

Importantly, however, melting down or reshaping removes the evidence of the theft. “I suspect that the robbers will try to bring the items to places with gem knowledge like a country, another nation or even as close as Antwerp, and find someone to cut out the stones,” suggested Marinello.

The heist at the Louvre has already brought up concerns about protective steps at the institution, with a leaked official review expected to be released soon pointing out “significant” and “persistent” delays in updating systems and observing that security cameras were missing in multiple areas. But specialists say displaying precious items in older structures with a constant flow of guests comes with dangers that are not possible to eliminate completely.

“Older structures are much harder to secure,” explained an art crime professor. “Many of them have large accessible windows that allows for thieves to escape, and there may be preservation laws in place that mean you can’t fit them with proper bulletproof glass.”

The most solid security systems for structures should be designed “like a fortress”, said a security advisor. “It should include several layers to deter intruders.”

Contemporary structures are fitted with advanced surveillance systems or integrated seismic detectors that raise alarm about a smashed window in immediately, but old museums may be reluctant to uglify their appearance. Laser scanners can be hard to install to stuccoed ceilings. Motion and sound detectors may also have to be disabled during the day as crowds walk through a museum.

The schedule of the Louvre raid, which took place between morning hours in Paris, was common of recent thefts, Stürmann said. “There’s a good reason why robberies tend to happen at either opening or closing times. Frequently when security rotate and before the museum is crowded who actually act as additional security staff.”

Advances in technology may have thrown up new gadgets that can notify more rapidly and efficiently, but it has also provided thieves new tools with which to bypass security measures. In Paris, the robbers accessed the museum’s first-floor window with a vehicle-mounted ladder and cut through a glass pane with a electric tool.

An author said the conversation in France about the 232-year-old structure had primarily focused on visitor management in the past decade, and not as much on security.

The museum has an on-site team of about fifty permanent firefighters, but their mission is mainly to safeguard the collection from fires and water damage. “There is no rapid-response unit,” Sciolino said. “Ultimately, the security of the Louvre all comes down to government support and funding, and currently France simply has no money.”