PARIS (AP) — The home of the “Mona Lisa” is getting a new boss. Art historian Christophe Leribault, a veteran museum director, is taking over at the Louvre, shouldering the challenge of getting the world’s largest museum out of crisis after the brazen heist in October of the French crown jewels.
French government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon announced the appointment on Wednesday. Leribault takes over from outgoing Louvre director Laurence des Cars, who resigned Tuesday.
The difficulties he inherits are formidable.
The daylight robbery — among the highest-profile museum thefts in living memory — exposed alarming security holes at the Paris landmark.
The former royal palace has also suffered a broad array of other problems that have presented a picture of a treasured national institution spiraling out of control.
They include a burst pipe near the “Mona Lisa," water leaks that damaged priceless books, aging buildings, staff walkouts over overcrowding, understaffing and ticket price hikes for most non-European visitors.
Pressure for new leadership deepened in recent weeks when authorities revealed a suspected decade-long ticket fraud operation linked to the museum that investigators say may have cost the Louvre 10 million euros ($11.8 million).
Leribault brings a proven track record. He has been running another world-renowned French landmark and tourist attraction, the Versailles Palace, overseeing an annual budget of about 170 million euros (US$200 million.)
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AP journalist John Leicester contributed.
