Uriel Soberanes on Unsplash

On October 19th, 2025, a group of people snuck into the Louvre and stole eight pieces of the French Crown Jewels in broad daylight. 

The robbery was done in less than 10 minutes, but over 80 million euros worth of historical artifacts were stolen, including jewelry worn by Empress Marie-Louise, Empress Eugénie, and Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense.

This unprecedented heist has caused a bit of an uproar in France’s capital. The world’s most famous museum has not fully reopened, due to a union strike protesting the understaffing, health, financial, and safety concerns that have littered the Louvre for years. A 2019 security audit also cited major flaws within the building, but they weren’t taken into consideration. One of the key findings of the audit, the Riverside Balcony was a major security threat, which was confirmed after discovering it was the thieves' entry point.

All this to say, the Louvre has its work cut out for it in the next few years, and we can definitely expect to see some big changes in the future. However, in the 230 years that the Louvre has operated as a museum, this is certainly not the first time thievery has taken place. Here are some interesting points in the museum’s long history.

The Mona Lisa Heist

Yes, arguably the most famous painting in the entire world was stolen from the Louvre back in 1911. The burglar was Vincenzo Peruggia, a former Louvre employee who successfully transported the painting back to its home country of Italy, where it remained for a total of three years.

Peruggia hid in a broom closet overnight before leaving with the painting wrapped in a sheet the next day. Apparently, no one noticed that the painting was gone until a day after the robbery had taken place. 

Peruggia served only seven months in jail due to his thievery, but was widely regarded as a national hero for trying to bring the painting back to Italy.

1976

Thomas Lawrence on Wikimedia

Two major heists stole precious works from the Louvre in the 70s. In January, a group of thieves stole an unnamed painting of a Flemish school, which was reportedly recovered.

In December of the same year, three masked men entered the museum's second floor into the Apollo Gallery—the same gallery where the most recent crime took place, and stole a jeweled 19th-century sword that belonged to King Charles X. 

The thieves injured two guards on their way to the sword, smashed the glass case it was in, and made off with the item before they were caught. The sword has not been recovered. 

Le Chemin de Sèvres

This 19th-century painting was created by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot and acquired by the Louvre back in 1902. The painting was stolen on May 3rd, 1998, again in broad daylight, after being cut from its frame.

Staff were quicker to notice this painting was missing, and the museum went into lockdown as soon as the theft was discovered—but it wasn’t fast enough. Sadly, Le Chemin de Sèvres has never been found.

After this event, the Louvre tightened its security measures, marking this painting as the last major piece of work to be stolen from the museum for 27 years.