Paris' Louvre Museum temporarily closes after staff strike

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Paris' Louvre Museum temporarily closes after staff strike
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Couple destroys crystal 'Van Gogh' chair at Italian art museum
A couple sat on and destroyed a crystal-coated 'Van Gogh' chair at an Italian art museum.
The Louvre Museum in Paris, home to Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa and other priceless works of art, was forced to open later than expected because of a labor strike on Monday, June 16.
Thousands of visitors, including Kevin Ward of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, lined the plaza near I.M. Pei's glass pyramid, tickets in hand, with no clear explanation for why the museum had closed its doors to the public without warning, CNN Style reported.
"It's the Mona Lisa moan out here," Ward said in an interview with the Associated Press. "Thousands of people waiting, no communication, no explanation. I guess even she needs a day off."
According to reporting syndicated by CNN Style, the "spontaneous" demonstration occurred during a routine internal meeting, when the museum's employees, from gallery attendants to security personnel, refused to take their posts in protest of "unmanageable crowds, chronic understaffing."
Talks between the museum's employees and management began at a 10:30 a.m. local time and continued into the early afternoon, with the Louvre reopening at approximately 2:30 p.m.
The museum confirmed to USA TODAY in a statement that it "remained closed this morning" due to a social movement but opened for the day at 2:30 p.m. local time. The Louvre declined to offer additional information.
The temporary closure comes months after French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled a 10-year plan to revitalize the cultural behemoth and ultimately save it from ruin, brought on by outdated infrastructure.
"We can't wait six years for help. Our teams are under pressure now. It's not just about the art — it's about the people protecting it," Sarah Sefian, a spokesperson for CGT-Culture, a labor union advocating for the rights of cultural workers in France, told the Associated Press in an interview. "What began as a scheduled monthly information session turned into a mass expression of exasperation."
The Louvre requested government assistance in January, report says
A week before Macron announced the renovation project, museum leadership reached out to the government to ask for its help.
Laurence des Cars, Louvre President, warned officials that the centuries-old building was in a dire state, characterized by water leaks and "worrying temperature swings which endanger the conservation of works of art," according to reporting from Reuters.
A visit to the museum, Cars wrote, has become a "physical ordeal" as employees and visitors alike contend with inadequate signage, lack of space and insufficient food and sanitary facilities, as well as the pyramid-shaped western entrance, which magnifies the summer heat with its greenhouse effect.
Even with a daily cap of 30,000 guests a day, employees are struggling to keep up, calling the experience "a daily test of endurance," as reported by CNN Style. The Louvre, which welcomed 8.7 million visitors in 2024, was only designed to accommodate four million visitors a year, according to Reuters.
The Louvre's renovation, which includes a separate wing from the Mona Lisa, is expected to be financed through museum funds, ticket revenue, private donations, state funds and income from the Louvre's Abu Dhabi branch, CNN Style and Le Monde reported.
Tourists from non-European Union countries will be hit with "a different, higher fee" to gain entry into the museum starting next year, Macron told reporters in January.