Several works of art and ancient documents at the Louvre Museum in Paris were damaged following a flood in the Egyptian antiquities library, caused by a pipe bursting on November 27.
The information was released on Thursday, December 5th, by the specialized online publication La Art Tribuneand confirmed this Sunday, 7th, by canal BFMTVwho had access to several photographs of the incident and an internal electronic message from the Hygiene, Safety and Working Conditions Committee that reported what had happened.
In the message, sent a day later, the author explained that “a valve that fed the pipes located above the documents, which were known to be defective, caused a large flood of dirty water that seriously damaged works of art and documentsand considerably damaged the workspaces” of colleagues.
According to this report, Louvre employees working that night managed to stop the leak before it reached an electrical distribution box on a lower floor, meaning there was a risk of a serious accident occurring.
Didier Rykner, responsible for the publication La Tribune de l’Art, estimated that around 400 works were damagedsome of them irreparably.
For Didier Rykner, this incident did not come as a surprise, as the department’s team has been asking for funds for years to protect the books from a possible burst of pipes, the status of which is known.
The Egyptian antiquities library, located in the Mollien Pavilion, is part of a research and documentation service only accessible to conservators, historians, academics and employees of the Louvre Museum.
Rykner complained that the alleged deplorable state of these facilities contrasts sharply with the 276,000 euros spent essentially on furniture for the offices of the Louvre’s director, Laurence des Cars, the general administrator and several other employees whose offices are located in that area.
This situation was made public at a time when the Louvre is involved in controversy following the theft it suffered on October 19th.
That day, a group of thieves, who used a freight elevator to access the Apollo Gallery in broad daylight, made off with the French crown jewels.
All members of the group were detained, but the jewelry has not yet been recovered.
Next Wednesday, in the French Senate, the conclusions of the administrative investigation will be presented to clarify what happened and possible security failures.