Editor’s Note
This article describes the opening of a new, expansive gallery at the Louvre dedicated to global arts and civilizations, a project moving forward despite broader institutional debates.
Despite ongoing controversies, the Louvre Museum, in partnership with the Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac Museum, is inaugurating the Gallery of the Five Continents on December 3rd. This newly renovated exhibition space, dedicated to the arts and civilizations of the world, spans approximately one thousand square meters in a previously underused area accessible via the ‘Lion’s Gate,’ an entrance often closed until now.
The timing is less than ideal, as the Louvre has faced significant criticism following a jewelry theft on October 19th. The French Court of Audit, in a report published on November 6th, accused the institution of sacrificing site maintenance and security for its expansion ambitions.
Furthermore, an audit commissioned by former Louvre president Jean-Luc Martinez from the jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels, which resurfaced recently, had already identified the balcony used by the thieves as a security weak point—adding more pressure on the museum’s management.
The gallery, funded by the patronage of Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière, also features a café designed by Musiam.