The French president Emmanuel Macron has named art historian Christophe Leribault as the new head of the institution following the resignation of its former director Laurence des Cars earlier this week.
Leribault, 62, has headed several of France’s best known cultural institutions. He joins the Louvre from the Château de Versailles, where he has been director since 2024, and previously led the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée de l’Orangerie, both in Paris. He was the deputy director of the Louvre’s graphic arts department from 2006 to 2012.
The appointment comes after months of turmoil following the burglary at the institution on 19 October 2025, when two men stole Napoleonic-era jewellery and regalia valued at €88m (around £76m) in an audacious smash-and-grab raid.
Investigators believe the core heist was organised by a four-man team, all of whom have now been arrested and charged. None of the stolen items have been recovered thus far.
