PARIS, Feb 14 — After a break-in, strikes and a ticket fraud scandal, the beleaguered Louvre museum in Paris said Friday it had suffered a water leak in its most-visited wing, the second flood in three months.
The fire brigade had to be called overnight after a burst pipe in the Louvre’s Denon wing, which houses some of the museum’s most valuable exhibits including the Mona Lisa, according to a statement.
While the space containing Leonardo Da Vinci’s masterpiece was not affected, the leak damaged a room of 15th-century Italian works and its decorative ceiling, painted by French artist Charles Meynier.
“The ceiling artwork shows two tears in the same area, caused by water, and lifting of the paint layer on the ceiling and its arches,” a statement from management said.
The cause of the damage was a heating-system pipe above the room, the statement added. Firefighters intervened shortly after midnight.
The water leak adds to a growing picture of structural and maintenance problems inside the world’s most visited museum, which suffered a hugely embarrassing robbery last October.
A water leak in late November damaged several hundred works in the Louvre’s Egyptian department, and management had to shut a gallery housing ancient Greek ceramics in October because ceiling beams above it threatened to give way.
The Louvre’s chief architect Francois Chatillon conceded in front of MPs in November that the building was “not in a good state”.
A message on the museum’s website Friday stated that “for reasons beyond our control, certain rooms are exceptionally closed”.
Fraud scandal
The news came just a day after revelations that police had dismantled a “large-scale” ticket fraud network at the Louvre that allegedly includes two museum employees and several tour guides.
The Paris prosecutor’s office estimates that the fraud, which involved Chinese tourists, could have cost the institution up to 10 million euros (RM46.3 million).
Investigators believe several guides working with Chinese tourists were re-using tickets and entering the Louvre several times, bribing security staff to get their compliance.
Police have seized around a million euros in cash and 486,000 euros from different bank accounts linked to the gang.
The accumulation of problems has piled pressure on museum boss Laurence des Cars who faced calls to resign after the October 19 robbery in which thieves steal crown jewels worth more than US$100 million.
Two intruders used a truck-mounted extendable platform to access a gallery containing the jewels, slicing through a glass door with disk-cutters in front of startled visitors before grabbing eight priceless items.
Disgruntled staff have also launched a wave of strikes since the start of the year demanding more recruitment and improved salaries, forcing management to shutter the former royal palace on several Mondays.
The Louvre welcomed nine million visitors last year. — AFP
