{"id":512886,"date":"2025-10-19T22:12:17","date_gmt":"2025-10-19T22:12:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/512886\/"},"modified":"2025-10-19T22:12:17","modified_gmt":"2025-10-19T22:12:17","slug":"four-minute-heist-at-the-louvre-how-priceless-jewels-were-stolen-in-france-arts-and-culture-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/512886\/","title":{"rendered":"Four-minute heist at the Louvre: How priceless jewels were stolen in France | Arts and Culture News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Louvre Museum in the French capital has closed for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/10\/19\/priceless-jewels-stolen-from-frances-louvre-museum-in-four-minute-heist\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cexceptional reasons\u201d<\/a> after a group of intruders successfully stole eight pieces of priceless jewellery in a quick-hit heist that has rocked the world\u2019s most-visited museum.<\/p>\n<p>A manhunt for the thieves was under way in Paris on Sunday as police cordoned off the museum \u2013 famously home to Leonardo da Vinci\u2019s painting Mona Lisa \u2013 with tape and as armed soldiers patrolled its iconic glass pyramid entrance.<\/p>\n<p>Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list<\/p>\n<p>French government and museum officials said several intruders entered the Galerie d\u2019Apollon (Apollo\u2019s Gallery) through a window shortly after the museum opened, relying on a lift used to hoist furniture into buildings.<\/p>\n<p>Within just four minutes, the thieves stole away on motorcycles laden with eight items dating back to the Napoleonic era, dropping a ninth on their way out.<\/p>\n<p>French President Emmanuel Macron took to social media to denounce the heist as an \u201cattack on a heritage that we cherish\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe perpetrators will be brought to justice,\u201d he added. \u201cEverything is being done, everywhere, to achieve this, under the leadership of the Paris prosecutor\u2019s office.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what we know about the heist, which arrives as the Louvre faces questions over large crowds and overworked staff.<\/p>\n<p>What happened?<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Around 9:30am local time (07:30 GMT) on Sunday, as tourists already roamed the halls of the Louvre, the thieves zeroed in on Apollo\u2019s Gallery \u2013 a gold-gilded, lavishly painted hall commissioned by King Louis XIV that houses the French crown jewels.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Describing the incident as a \u201cmajor robbery\u201d, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the thieves used a basket lift to reach the museum\u2019s windows, entered the gallery and escaped via motorbike with \u201cjewels of inestimable value\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The Louvre evacuated all visitors and posted a notice online that the museum would remain closed throughout the day under \u201cexceptional\u201d circumstances.<\/p>\n<p>Police meanwhile sealed the gates, cleared courtyards and even closed off nearby streets along the Seine River as authorities kicked off an investigation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">It was \u201ccrazy\u201d, one American tourist, Talia Ocampo, told the AFP news agency \u2013 \u201clike a Hollywood movie\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>No injuries were reported, but the thieves \u2013 believed to number four people \u2013 remained at large as of Sunday evening.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-4046209\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AFP__20251019__79BF9T3__v1__HighRes__FranceCultureMuseumLouvre-1760896474.jpg\" alt=\"French jewels\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/>The crown of the Empress Eug\u00e9nie de Montijo is displayed at Apollo\u2019s Gallery at the Louvre Museum in Paris in 2020. Thieves attempted to steal the piece on Sunday [File: Stephane de Sakutin\/AFP]What was stolen during the heist?<\/p>\n<p>Thieves successfully removed eight items from two high-security display cases, the Ministry of Culture confirmed late on Sunday. These include pieces that belonged to Empress Marie-Louise, the wife of French Emperor Napoleon I, and others that belonged to Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III.<\/p>\n<p>These are the items that were stolen:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Tiara from the jewellery set of Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense<\/li>\n<li>Necklace from the same duo\u2019s sapphire jewellery set<\/li>\n<li>A single earring from the sapphire jewellery set<\/li>\n<li>Emerald necklace from the Marie-Louise set<\/li>\n<li>Pair of emerald earrings from the Marie-Louise set<\/li>\n<li>Brooch known as the \u201creliquary\u201d brooch<\/li>\n<li>Tiara of Empress Eugenie<\/li>\n<li>Another large brooch of Empress Eugenie<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The crown of Empress Eugenie was recovered outside the walls of the museum, the ministry said, where it was dropped by the thieves as they fled. The crown contains 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds, according to the Louvre.<\/p>\n<p>Apollo\u2019s Gallery is home to a range of other priceless gems, including three historical diamonds \u2013 the Regent, the Sancy and the Hortensia \u2013 and \u201cthe magnificent hardstone vessel collection of the kings of France\u201d, according to the museum\u2019s website.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Anthony Amore, an art theft expert and co-author of the book Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists, told Al Jazeera the items contained in the collection were priceless \u201cnot just in terms of dollars, but in terms of cultural patrimony\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not like stealing a masterpiece where instantly news media \u2026 would publicise this image,\u201d Amore said. \u201cYou might see pieces like this broken up and individual jewels sold that are indistinguishable to members of the public.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-4045034\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1760911936_776_AFP__20251019__79AX9G4__v1__HighRes__FranceMuseumRobbery-1760872160.jpg\" alt=\"Machinery believed to have been used by thieves to gain access to the Louvre Museum in Paris\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/>This photograph shows a furniture elevator used by robbers to enter the Louvre Museum, on Quai Francois Mitterrand, in Paris, France on October 19, 2025 [Dimitar Dilkoff\/AFP]How did the thieves do it?<\/p>\n<p>The thieves used a combination of power tools, motorcycles and efficiency to pull off the minutes-long heist, authorities said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The group drew up on a scooter armed with angle grinders, one police source told AFP. They used the hoist to access the gallery from the outside, cutting windowpanes with a disc cutter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">One witness, who told the TF1 news outlet that he was riding his bicycle nearby at the time, said he saw two men \u201cget on the hoist, break the window and enter\u201d, adding that the entire operation \u201ctook 30 seconds\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Le Parisien reported that the thieves entered the museum \u2013 located inside a former palace \u2013 via the facade facing the Seine, where construction work is ongoing. Two were dressed as construction workers in yellow safety vests, the newspaper said.<\/p>\n<p>Culture Minister Rachida Dati said authorities arrived \u201ca couple of minutes after we received information of this robbery\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo be completely honest, this operation lasted almost four minutes \u2013 it was very quick,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Footage showed the hoist braced to the Seine-facing facade and leading up to a balcony window, which observers said was the thieves\u2019 entry point before it was removed Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>What happens now?<\/p>\n<p>With the thieves still at large, forensic teams have descended upon the Louvre and surrounding streets to gather evidence and review CCTV footage from the Denon wing, where Apollo\u2019s Gallery is located, and the Seine riverfront.<\/p>\n<p>Authorities also planned to interview staff who were working when the museum opened on Sunday, they said.<\/p>\n<p>The Interior Ministry said it was compiling a detailed list of the stolen items, but added that \u201cbeyond their market value, these items have priceless heritage and historical value\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Dati, the culture minister, suggested the thieves were \u201cprofessionals\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cOrganised crime today targets objects of art, and museums have of course become targets,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-4046205\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AFP__20250128__36WF83G__v1__HighRes__FranceCultureArtMuseum-1760896406.jpg\" alt=\"Mona Lisa\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/>The painting \u2018La Joconde\u2019 (the Mona Lisa) by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci at the Louvre Museum in Paris on January 28, 2025 [File: Bertrand Guay\/AFP]<br \/>\nHave similar heists happened in the past?<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The Louvre\u2019s most famous heist occurred in 1911, when the Mona Lisa portrait disappeared from its frame. It was recovered two years later, but decades afterward, in 1956, a visitor threw a stone at the world-famous painting \u2013 chipping paint near the subject\u2019s left elbow and prompting the portrait to be moved behind bulletproof glass.<\/p>\n<p>In recent years, the museum has struggled with growing crowds, which totalled 8.7 million in 2024, and frustrated staff who say they are stretched too thin.<\/p>\n<p>In June, the museum delayed opening due to a staff walkout over chronic understaffing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">One union source, who asked to remain anonymous, told AFP that the equivalent of 200 positions had been cut at the museum over the past 15 years, out of a total workforce of nearly 2,000.<\/p>\n<p>The fact that Sunday\u2019s theft took place in broad daylight inspired a wave of consternation from French citizens and politicians.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s just unbelievable that a museum this famous can have such obvious security gaps,\u201d Magali Cunel, a French teacher from near Lyon, told the Associated Press news agency.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Louvre Museum in the French capital has closed for \u201cexceptional reasons\u201d after a group of intruders successfully&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":512887,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3939],"tags":[4021,42521,4020,188,4022,77,299,13641,36,12,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-512886","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-culture","10":"tag-arts-and-design","11":"tag-crime","12":"tag-design","13":"tag-entertainment","14":"tag-europe","15":"tag-explainer","16":"tag-france","17":"tag-news","18":"tag-uk","19":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115403131969054218","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/512886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=512886"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/512886\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/512887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=512886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=512886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=512886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}