Fifty-seven curators and museum directors—including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)’s Christophe Cherix and Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)’s Michael Govan—signed an open letter in support of Louvre‘s director Laurence des Cars, following the theft of the museum’s crown jewels that has captured global attention.
The letter, published by Le Monde, expressed solidarity and support for the director and museum alike: “Our institutions are not immune to the world’s brutality. Today, they are facing increasingly violent acts. What happened to the Louvre is one of the greatest fears of museum professionals. Some of us have already experienced it. These risks weigh on each of our institutions. They weigh on each work of art from the moment it is exhibited,” the letter reads.
Museums, the letter continues, “allow us to learn from the past, to illuminate the present, and to engage intimately with the masterpieces they preserve. They allow us to look at the world differently.
“Museums are neither bastions nor safes. While creating a safe environment for art and its audiences, their raison d’être lies in their openness and accessibility.”
The theft, the letter explains, impacts the “most fundamental mission” and cultural institution: “to share the common heritage of our humanity with as many people as possible.”
The letter was signed by a number of notable curators and museum directors around the world, among them, Christophe Cherix, director of MoMA in New York; Nicholas Cullinan, director of the British Museum in London; Taco Dibbits, general director of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam; Michael Govan, director of LACMA; Max Hollein, director et CEO of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; Laurent Le Bon, president of the Centre Pompidou in Paris; James Rondeau, director of the Art Institute of Chicago; Sasha Suda, director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art; and Mariët Westermann, director et CEO of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York.
Experts who weighed in on the heist have also stressed that every museum must maintain a balance of security and access.
