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The Craziest Art Heist at the Louvre, Paris: Jewels Stolen in Seconds
- Sutithi
- 23 hours ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 6 hours ago
History repeats itself! The Louvre Museum robbery once again has grabbed global headlines!
We are talking about the recent art theft at the Louvre Museum in Paris, which has been the craziest ever! The robbery took place in broad daylight on October 19, 2025, immediately after the museum opened for its Sunday visitors. It was almost like a Hollywood movie clip, showing the men in action! Video footage by BFM TV shared a glimpse of the heist, which took less than 8 minutes to complete!
In the viral clip, a masked thief can be seen cutting through a glass case in the gilded Galerie d’Apollon — the historic Apollo Gallery, on the second floor of the Museum, while visitors walked past him, unaware of the theft! Precious jewels and ornaments were stolen within seconds, which, according to experts, are harder to trace as they can be broken and melted down, unlike stolen paintings.
As per reports, nine valuable crown jewelry pieces worth 88 million euros (estimated $102 million) were stolen, out of which Empress Eugénie’s tiara and a large corsage-bow brooch containing more than 1,300 diamonds were dropped and damaged by the robbers as they fled on motorbikes.
Revisiting the 1911 Louvre Museum Robbery of Mona Lisa and Theft Attempts Until the 1990s
Let’s uncover some interesting facts about the Louvre Museum robbery in the early 1900s before you move on to the latest highlights:
Did you know that Mona Lisa, the Italian Renaissance icon by Leonardo da Vinci was not so famous before the art snapping of 1911? The painting used to hang on the wall of ‘Salon Carre’ in the museum of Louvre and attracted the world’s attention after it went missing overnight!
Did you know that the true mastermind behind the theft, Vincenzo Peruggia, a former Louvre employee and Italian immigrant, literally fell in love with the portrait of the lady?
Did you know that young Pablo Picasso was also interrogated for the art heist of Mona Lisa, as he had previously acquired some Iberian heads stolen from the museum, which he later returned?
Not only was Mona Lisa immortalized by Peruggia’s sensational art theft, there were other significant attempts to loot the museum’s cultural treasures during the Nazi occupation of France.
Fortunately, Jacques Jaujard, the then director of France’s national museums, ordered around 1800 art pieces to be moved to the French countryside as an anticipatory move during the Nazi occupation of 1940s — though the Nazis managed to steal several famous Jewish-owned artworks.
Another significant theft was of Pierre Auguste Renoir’s ‘Portrait of a Seated Woman,’ which was taken out of its frame, and the art snapping of Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot’s painting.
The theft of October 19, 2025, marks the first major art museum heist at the Louvre since the 1990s!
What Happened on the Fateful Sunday Morning at the Louvre?
The heist was well-researched and meticulously drafted, completed within 8 minutes including the daring feat inside the museum itself.
The thieves entered the Louvre as masked men shortly after the museum opened in the morning, around 9.30 a.m.
They used truck-mounted ladder and basket lifts to reach the second floor of the museum and used angle grinders to gain access through windows, aiming the valuable French crown jewels displayed in the Galerie d’Apollon (Apollo Gallery).
According to official reports, no one was injured, and the entire operation lasted less than 8 minutes, as the thieves seemed to have a crystal-clear idea of what they were after.
They went straight to the display glasses, snatched the jewels, and fled on motorbikes. Before they escaped, they attempted to set fire to their vehicles parked outside, but museum security personnel intervened just in time.
What Actually Got Stolen at the Louvre Museum?
The official reports from the French Ministry of Culture revealed the list of stolen items –
Emerald necklace and earrings of Napoleon I’s second wife, Empress Marie-Louise.
Crown and brooch worn by Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, part of the classic 19th century imperial jewelry ensemble.
Crown worn by Queen Hortense and Queen Marie-Amelie, Queen of France, until 1848.
Sapphire necklaces worn by Queen Hortense and Queen Marie-Amelie.
Sapphire earrings and brooch worn by Queen Hortense and Queen Marie-Amelie.
Why Was the October 2025 Art Museum Heist Different and Difficult to Trace?
The latest Louvre Museum robbery was different from the previous high-profile robberies as it didn’t involve paintings, but rather expensive crown jewels with high intrinsic value.
Stolen paintings are usually made of canvas, frame, panel, and pigments, and they are recognized for their historical and cultural significance. On the contrary, jewelry retains its value even being broken apart or melted down.
Therefore, the thieves would hardly be interested in those jewels’ cultural value or historical value, but in making them harder to trace while breaking them, recut, or sell in a way, no one would ever trace their origins.
Once recut or redesigned, these jewelries would become as good as new, retaining their high intrinsic worth, unlike stolen paintings.
From the Horse’s Mouth: Eyewitnesses and Visitors at the Apollo Gallery
According to eye witnesses and visitors, the thieves dressed in yellow jackets and black hoodies were efficient enough to deceive both the general public and the Louvre attendants while they targeted the high-security display glasses. They had specialized tools like angle grinders to smash the tough glass cases without alerting the nearby visitors.
The team had a precise understanding of what they really wanted from there! They didn’t waste a second! It was done fast and crazy in just about four to seven minutes!
Areas of Concern: Security Lapses Flagged by the Recent Theft at the Louvre Museum
As the entire art world finds it hard to cope with this brazen daylight art theft, questions are being raised about security lapses in one of the most heavily-guarded public spaces, causing major embarrassment for the French authorities.
The French Justice Minister has confessed and acknowledged these lapses to the worldwide media, saying that -
“One can wonder about the fact that the windows hadn’t been secured, about the fact that a basket lift was on a public road.”
The Current Scenario at the Louvre Museum, Paris, After the Theft
According to American Art Historian Noah Charney,
“The only hope that police have, and we understand this from how past cases have played out, is if they offer a reward for the recovery of all the jewels intact that is higher than the value of the component parts of the jewelry.”
It only offers a flicker of hope, buying some time for the investigating agencies to probe deeper into the crime, track down the stolen items, and trace those masterminds behind the recent Louvre Museum robbery.
While the forensic department continues to collect evidence of the brazen theft, the museum remained closed for the general public. Besides a financial setback, it was a cultural loss for France, as it was robbed of these priceless Napoleonic jewels of immense historical value. The Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez even called it a national disaster.
This audacious daylight theft has prompted an immediate attention to revamp security measures at worldwide art museums of the stature of Louvre, which host over 30,000 visitors per day.
Culture minister Rachida Dati sounds optimistic though, when she reiterates the need for a thorough investigation, checking security logs, scrutinizing CCTV footages, to identify the three masked men who dared to tarnish the reputation and sanctity of a place, where rests the immortal pieces like da Vinci’s Mona Lisa or The Wedding at Cana by Paolo Veronese, surviving over the centuries.
To know the latest visiting hours and schedules at the Louvre, Paris, please explore https://www.louvre.fr/en.