The famous Parisian Louvre is once again in the spotlight after another incident: on Thursday evening, water damaged a painted ceiling from 1819. The leak occurred from a heating pipe in a technical room, and water reached the painting created by the French Neoclassical artist Charles Meynier, Euronews reports .
Entrance to the Louvre. Photo: AP Photo/Emma Da Silva
The damaged artwork is located in room No. 707, near the entrance to the Painting Department in the Denon Wing. The Galerie d'Apollon, where a high-profile robbery occurred last October, is located nearby.
According to the museum's statement, rescue services responded promptly, and the leak was stopped around midnight. In the morning, a restorer arrived at the scene and found two water-induced damages in one area, as well as blistering of the paint layer on the ceiling and its arches.
The chief architect of historical monuments noted that there were no structural damages, but an additional detailed examination of both the ceiling itself and the painting is being conducted.
On Friday, some parts of the Louvre remained closed, but room No. 707 is planned to be opened in the near future. However, it is not excluded that disruptions to the museum's operations may continue, and the opening for visitors on Monday might be postponed.
This is already the second water leak at the Louvre in less than three months. Last November, a similar incident in the library of the Department of Egyptian Antiquities damaged hundreds of exhibits. Additionally, after the October theft of eight 19th-century historical valuables, the museum regularly faces problems — from investigations into ticket fraud to staff strikes, who complain about staff shortages and security issues.
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