On Oct. 19, the Louvre, one of the most famous museums in the world, was robbed of eight pieces of jewelry from the Apollo Gallery in just seven minutes. It occurred at approximately 9:30 AM CEST (2:30 AM EST) during regular business hours.
The jewelry stolen from the Louvre included an emerald necklace and matching earrings from the Empress Marie-Louise set. A sapphire diamond, an earring, and a necklace from a 19th-century set worn by Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense were also stolen. From Empress Eugenie, the thieves stole a large corsage bow brooch and a tiara, which was dropped and recovered. Lastly, the Reliquary brooch was stolen. In total, the jewelry stolen is estimated to be worth $102 million.
So far, seven people have been arrested, three of whom have been released. The suspects charged so far include a 34-year-old former garbage collector, a 39-year-old taxi driver, a 37-year-old man, and a 38-year-old woman.
As this event happened over a month ago, the suspects are now behind bars, with the two main thieves expected to be incarcerated for up to 15 years.
“These people, sure, they want to accomplish something and be highly regarded thieves, and maybe they want to do the one heist that sets them up financially forever. But this really isn’t the one,” State High Art Coordinator Danielle Crowe said. “I think symbolically, why they might take those items instead of a painting is the statement of returning the power…people rising up rather than just the thieving of some.”
“I was completely shocked, because it’s such a famous museum…completely flabbergasted that that could even happen,” Gifted Support teacher Sarah Rito said.
Some people believe that it was more about the thrill and pulling off the heist than the possession of the artwork. People have theorized many different, deeper meanings of this heist, such as an attack on “French heritage,” but until additional investigations are conducted, the motive remains unknown.
Many people around the world were shocked when they learned about the robbery.
“They have to be, like, some sort of geniuses in a way to be able to pull that off. How quickly they did that, with how busy the Louvre can be … there has to be another thing going on with the robbers,” junior Kelsey Gummo said
Museum security moving forward is a significant concern, as many people thought that famous museums like the Louvre were highly protected, considering the priceless items they house. The robbery drew widespread attention to the issue of lax security in world-renowned museums.
“Hearing about it, you kind of doubt how much money they are putting into security. When you have pieces like the Mona Lisa there, you have all these jewels and crowns, you think they’d put a lot of money into security to prevent robberies,” Gummo said.
“I’m sure every museum will go through a reevaluation of its security protocols. They’re all subject to exploitation. People can figure out what your security protocols are and get through them,” Crowe said.
After this robbery, the Louvre has rapidly upped its security by installing 100 new surveillance cameras, building an on-site police station, implementing advanced anti-intrusion systems, and enhancing coordination with French law enforcement.
With the thieves being able to pull off such a heist in a place as historic and famous as the Louvre, people might think they can do that at any museum. However, residents are not too worried about the security at the local museums, such as the Palmer Art Museum.
“It’s not going to be likely to be targeted. It’s just not as widely known and does not have as much traffic,” Crowe said.
“I think Penn State is getting much more mindful about security generally, as many of our institutions are. So I do think that our relics here are pretty well protected,” Rito said.
The Louvre is one of the world’s largest and most visited museums, whereas the Palmer Art Museum is neither as large nor as well-known. No matter the size or significance of the museum, most will certainly be upping their security measures after this humiliating heist.
