A 19th-century painting on display at one of the world’s most famous museums was damaged by water after a leak developed in one of the building’s exhibition halls. The museum confirmed that the artwork had been affected and that restorers are assessing the extent of the damage and the possibilities for restoration.
According to reports, water entered Room 707 of the Louvre due to a technical fault, damaging Charles Meynier’s painting The Apotheosis of Poussin, Le Sueur and Le Brun. Firefighters were immediately dispatched, cordoned off the affected area, and took measures to prevent further deterioration.
Experts are now working to stabilise the painting and determine whether it can be fully restored. The museum has not disclosed the artwork’s value but stressed that conservation efforts are underway.
This is not the first serious blunder at the Louvre in recent times. Museum officials have come under increasing scrutiny in past months after thieves stole priceless French crown jewels from the museum in broad daylight last October and hundreds of books were damaged in a separate water leak in December.
The jewels still haven’t been recovered, and the museum has since moved some of its most precious jewels to the Bank of France. A report published in October by France’s public audit body criticised the museum’s excessive spending on artwork, which it said was
to the detriment of the maintenance and renovation of buildings.
