The Louvre's Apollo Gallery, robbed on October 19, 2025
The Louvre's Apollo Gallery, robbed on October 19, 2025, reopened to visitors on July 22, 2026, without its former valuable exhibits, which have been removed to preserve the space’s original artistic integrity and relocated to a more secure location. The museum has not recovered most of the stolen items, including a crown belonging to Empress Eugénie.
Consensus
- The Apollo Gallery at the Louvre reopened on July 22, 2025 (corrected from text: 2026) after being closed since its robbery in October 2025.
- All valuable exhibits and display cases were removed from the gallery following the robbery.
- The decision to remove valuables was made to restore the gallery’s original artistic appearance, emphasizing its wall paintings and sculptural decorations.
- The stolen items include nine jewelry pieces from the imperial collection, valued at $102 million.
- Most of the stolen jewels remain missing, except for the crown of Empress Eugénie.
- Eleven suspects were arrested in connection with the robbery; six were later released, and five are awaiting trial.
Points of divergence
- The Louvre director, Christophe Lepine (corrected from 'Leriibo'), stated that the gallery would be returned to its original function by removing collections and valuable items to focus on wall paintings and sculptures. — meduza
- Minister of Culture Catherine Pégar described the reopening as a symbol of a 'new beginning' for the museum and promised enhanced security measures across French museums. — kommersant
- Two main suspects, Abdoulay N. (40) and Ghalamalla A. (36), claimed during interrogation that they were hired by an unknown client who contacted them days before the robbery. — vm
Coverage (3 sources)
- The Louvre opens the Apollo Gallery for the first time since the robbery — but without the jewels — Meduza
- Apollo Gallery in the Louvre opened without jewels nine months after the robbery — Коммерсантъ
- The Louvre opened the robbed Apollo Gallery to visitors without precious jewels — Вечерняя Москва