Khaberni - A water leak that occurred at the Louvre Museum on November 26 damaged hundreds of works in the Egyptian Antiquities Library, as revealed by the Parisian institution that has been facing ongoing issues since a jewelry heist at its premises in October.
Deputy General Commissioner Francis Steinbok reported that "between 300 and 400 works" were affected, thereby confirming information that had circulated on the website "La Tribune de l'Art".
He mentioned that "journals on Egyptology" and "scientific documents" used by researchers and dating back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries were damaged.
He asserted that "no heritage work was damaged", indicating that "there are no irreplaceable losses to the collections so far".
He noted that these are "very useful documents that are frequently consulted", but they are "not at all unique. They are expected to dry, and we will send them to the binder to be repaired before returning them to the shelves".
The water leak was discovered on November 26 in the network supplying the heating and ventilation systems in the library located in the Moliére wing, according to the museum.
It resulted from the accidental opening of a valve, leading to the water leaking from a pipe in the ceiling of one of the halls.
The "completely deteriorated" water network had been cut off for several months and is expected to begin being replaced starting from September 2026, Steinbok revealed, as part of works supposed to last several months.
An internal investigation is set to uncover the specific causes behind this leak.
The union "CFDT-Culture" denounced in a statement this "new incident confirming that the situation has been deteriorating for a long time". A union meeting is expected on Monday to assess the situation.
On October 19, the Louvre suffered a jewelry theft valued at approximately 88 million euros.
The four individuals in the gang that carried out the theft were arrested, but neither the jewelry nor the masterminds behind the operation have been found yet.
In November, the museum was forced to close one of the galleries due to the aging of the building.
To fund the restoration works, the Louvre's administration plans to increase the ticket prices by 45% for visitors from outside Europe starting from 2026.
The Louvre, which attracts the largest number of visitors in the world, welcomed 8.7 million visitors last year, 69% of whom were foreigners.
