The 54-year-old historian Lawrence de Cars became the new director of the Louvre. And immediately announced the extension of working hours.
With Laurence Des Cars, a woman will be running the Louvre for the first time. French President Emmanuel Macron appointed her the new director of the Museum of Paris. To this end, she moved from the Musée d’Orsay, where she has presided over the past four years.
Des Cars, a specialist art historian of the 19th century, was praised in Orsay for her decisiveness. During the closing period, it launched a project to expand the museum with the “Orsay Grand Ouvert”. Emphasizes the social role of the museum, with an emphasis on diversity. In March, Orsay also became the first French museum to voluntarily return a painting looted by the Nazis: Gustave Klimt’s Rosiers sous les arbres returned to their rightful owners, a Jewish family.
As director, de Cars replaces Jean-Luc Martinez, who has led the Louvre since 2013. The museum grew to over 10 million visitors in 2019. This was a world record.
Des Cars said she wants to extend the Louvre’s opening hours to attract younger visitors.
