Louvre director warns museum is at breaking point

Christophe Leribault, appointed Louvre director in February 2026, told a French Senate committee that the museum is 'at the end of its strength' and faces a massive investment backlog. He described technical infrastructure as obsolete, saying the Louvre is 'out of breath' despite its grandeur and staff dedication. The warning comes after an October 2025 jewel heist of €88 million, plus ongoing strikes, security issues, and failing equipment. The Louvre averages 9 million visitors annually. Separately, a rediscovered still life by 17th-century French painter Lubin Baugin, 'Stillleben mit Financiers', sold for €440,000 at Vichy Enchères on August 16, 2025, a record for the artist. The PIN Benefizauktion on November 15 will celebrate 60 years of the Friends of the Pinakothek der Moderne, featuring Peter Halley's 'Dada Ji' (2005, estimate €140,000). At Breker auction house in Cologne, a Hasselblad HK 7 hand-held aerial camera from 1941 sold for €32,000 on September 13, far above its €900 starting price.