An alarming confidential note, revealed by Le Parisien, reveals the problems plaguing the Louvre museum building and in particular its pyramid.
The Louvre is one of the greatest symbols of Paris. The museum still welcomed 8.7 million visitors in 2024. Attendance which is holding up well (8.9 million in 2023), although the building would be subject to significant damage. In a confidential note dated January 13 sent by Laurence des Cars to the Minister of Culture Rachida Dati and revealed by The Parisianthe director of the Louvre museum warns of “the severe reality of the state of our overused buildings”, a good part of which “is reaching a worrying level of obsolescence”. Waterproofing and temperature problems have been highlighted, which could affect the building, the works, but also the staff and visitors.
Christian Galani, member of the national office of the CGT Culture union, of which he is the representative at the Louvre, assured theAFP that “not a day goes by without us noticing the deterioration of the building, with paint crumbling, rooms, reserves and work spaces sometimes flooded, power outages and late payments providers due to lack of budget. Conditions which sometimes force certain rooms of the museum to be closed.
The Louvre pyramid “outdated”
One of the parts particularly affected is the pyramid, the flagship symbol of the museum. The director of the cultural establishment deplores a “structurally outdated” monument. The glass building inaugurated in 1988 rises more than 21 meters on a square base of 35 meters on each side, a size considered insufficient to accommodate the more than 8 million visitors who now go to the Louvre each year. It was designed with a capacity half the size in mind.
Furthermore, the pyramid also suffers from global warming. “The design of the pyramid reveals significant shortcomings: on very hot days, the greenhouse effect, created by the glass roof, makes this space very inhospitable for the public who crosses it and the agents who work there. In addition , the sound treatment of this space remains very poor,” explains the museum director.
Among the solutions considered is the creation of an additional entrance to relieve congestion in the pyramid. It could be created at the opposite end of the museum, at the Cour Carrée and the Perrault Colonnade facing the Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois church. It is a rather desert area, which leads from Rue de Rivoli to the Seine. A source close to the Head of State confirmed in any case that “discussions are taking place between the presidency, the Ministry of Culture and the Louvre, and the Head of State intends to take up this matter soon.”