Laurence des Cars, 59, director of the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, where a royal jewels theft occurred on Oct. last year, resigned on the 24th local time.
According to the French daily Le Monde, museum director Laurence des Cars submitted her resignation to President Emmanuel Macron that day, and Macron accepted it, calling it a "responsible act."
The Élysée Palace said, "The museum needs new momentum to strengthen security, modernize, and successfully carry out the 'Louvre-Renaissance' project." Louvre-Renaissance is a comprehensive renovation and restoration project for the Louvre Museum that President Macron personally released last year.
Des Cars is the first female director in the Louvre's 228-year history, appointed directly by President Macron, and has served as museum director since Sept. 2021. However, she has faced pressure to step down since Oct. 19 last year, when thieves broke into the Apollo Gallery of the Louvre and made off with eight pieces of royal treasure.
Immediately after the incident, Des Cars submitted her resignation to the Élysée through the Minister of Culture, but President Macron rejected it at the time. Since then, leaks at the museum, a series of staff strikes, and even a ticket fraud case involving an employee have made it difficult for her to remain in the post.
Le Monde also reported that, with local elections next month, Des Cars has been under political pressure for being an obstacle to the campaign of Culture Minister Rachida Dati, who is running for Paris mayor.
However, the prevailing view is that a change at the top will not necessarily lead to improvements in the museum's systems. Alexandre Portier, a Republican lawmaker who led the Louvre Museum security inquiry commission, told Le Monde, "Changing the pilot is pointless if you don't change how you fly," adding, "Systemic flaws require systemic responses. You have to change the software."