The world-renowned Louvre Museum in Paris found itself at the center of a dramatic incident Sunday morning as French officials confirmed a robbery had taken place within its hallowed halls.
Details remain scarce, and it’s currently unclear which, if any, of the museum’s irreplaceable artifacts were stolen. French Culture Minister Rachida Dati assured the public that no injuries were reported, with police quickly arriving on the scene to begin their investigation.
“Investigations are underway,” Dati posted on X (formerly Twitter), providing the first official acknowledgment of the incident. Paris police have yet to issue a public statement.
The museum itself also took to social media, announcing its closure for Sunday due to “exceptional reasons,” a clear sign of the gravity of the situation.
Home to over 33,000 works of art, including a vast collection of sculptures, paintings, and ancient treasures, the Louvre attracts up to 30,000 visitors daily. Among its most celebrated possessions is Leonardo da Vinci’s enigmatic Mona Lisa, raising immediate concerns about the potential targets of such a daring theft.
This isn’t the first time the Louvre has faced such a challenge. The museum has a history of high-profile heists, including the audacious theft of the Mona Lisa itself in the summer of 1911 by a disgruntled employee, Vincenzo Peruggia. The masterpiece was recovered two years later when Peruggia attempted to sell it in Italy.
Another notable incident occurred in 1976 when burglars bypassed security at dawn, smashing windows on the second floor to make off with King Charles X of France’s 19th-century diamond-studded sword. More recently, in 1990, Pierre Auguste Renoir’s painting “Portrait of a Seated Woman” was brazenly cut from its frame and stolen from a third-floor gallery.
This is a developing story.
Jenny Gross contributed reporting to this story.