A burst water pipe has damaged a 19th-century painted ceiling inside the Louvre Museum, Paris, adding fresh strain to a museum already battered by theft, fraud and staff unrest. The leak hit the Denon wing, home to some of the institution’s most visited galleries. Firefighters were called just after midnight.
The damage to the two hundred-year-old ceiling was confirmed Friday in statements reported by Agence France-Presse.
The affected room sits near works by Leonardo da Vinci, though the museum said the space containing the Mona Lisa was not impacted. Instead, water from a heating-system pipe above the gallery struck a decorative ceiling painted in 1819 by French artist Charles Meynier.
A water leak occurred in the Louvre museum’s Denon gallery on Thursday evening, impacting room 707 where 19th-century French artist Charles Meynier and 16th-century Italian artist Bernardino Luini’s paintings are displayed.
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“The ceiling artwork shows two tears in the same area, caused by water, and lifting of the paint layer on the ceiling and its arches,” museum management said in a statement.
Luckily, the museum acted quickly to minimize the damage. The fire brigade “responded immediately and the leak was stopped at ten minutes past midnight,” the museum added.
According to the chief architect of France’s historic monuments, the ceiling “does not present any structural problems,” though a more detailed investigation is under way. A restorer was dispatched Friday morning to assess the damage.
Room 707, located at the entrance to the paintings department in the Denon wing, was closed while inspections continued. A notice on the museum’s official website warned that “for reasons beyond our control, certain rooms are exceptionally closed.”
By Friday afternoon, the Louvre said the room should reopen “in the next few hours,” though it acknowledged disruptions could continue and Monday’s public opening might be affected.
This marks the second flood in less than three months. In late November, a water leak damaged several hundred works in the Department of Egyptian Antiquities. In October, management shut a gallery housing ancient Greek ceramics because ceiling beams above it threatened to give way.
Encore des fuites au #MuseeDuLouvre touchant la salle 707 dite « Duchâtel » comme des œuvres du peintre italien Bernardino ont sûrement été impactées par l’irresponsabilité d’une direction qui se fout le l’entretien de ce musée. C’est honteux! Que faites vous @datirachida? pic.twitter.com/mVqQ4qp8qJ
— CnathDreamer 🦈 (@CnathDreamer) February 13, 2026
The setbacks come after a high-profile robbery last October in which thieves stole eight crown jewels valued at more than $100 million. Two intruders used a truck-mounted platform to reach a gallery window and cut through glass doors before fleeing with the jewels.
The museum has also faced a ticket fraud investigation. French police recently dismantled what prosecutors described as a “large-scale” network allegedly involving two museum employees and several tour guides. Authorities estimate the scheme, which targeted Chinese tourist groups, may have cost the institution up to 10 million euros.
Investigators believe guides reused tickets and entered the museum multiple times, bribing security staff to gain access. Police seized about one million euros in cash and nearly half a million euros from linked bank accounts.
Pressure has mounted on museum president Laurence des Cars, who has faced calls to resign since the jewel theft. Last year, the Louvre welcomed nine million visitors, proving that the public still finds it relevant. Yet, its chief architect, Francois Chatillon, told lawmakers in November that the building was “not in a good state.”
For now, the latest damage appears contained to a single ceiling. But for staff already navigating strikes over working conditions and security gaps, the leak is another unwelcome headline in a long season of them.
