The week before Halloween, my friend messaged me to ask if we wanted to be the latest Louvre robbers, proposing we dress in high boots and all black, with the printed-out stolen jewels attached to our fronts. While this group costume never came to fruition, the riptide of cultural attention and relevance that has followed the Louvre robbery on the 19th of October is perfectly exemplified by this Halloween costume. The robbery has already cemented itself in culture for a multitude of reasons. The simplicity of it, the shockingly short time it took place, the lack of manpower involved, and how seemingly simple it turned out to be to make off with over $100 million worth of jewels.
October 19th RObbery
It took only seven minutes for the group of four robbers to gain access to the Apollo Gallery of the Louvre. The story hit the headlines at 10:34 AM, according to ABC News, just 1 hour and 4 minutes after the robbers arrived at the Louvre. For most, this heist was considered completely impossible, given that it took place not only at the most important museum in France but also in 2025, when tech — and the security it enables—has never been stronger. Yet, somehow, the thieves pulled it off, in and out of the ornate Apollo Gallery, which my family and I had set foot in not two months earlier, taking off with several pieces belonging to Emperor Napoleon and his wife, notably dropping the crown of Empress Eugénie on the way out before they vanished into the brightening day.
Photographs of the stolen pieces from my visit to the Louvre
The Notoriety of art theft
Heists and art theft have often added to the notoriety of the stolen piece, with no better example than the Mona Lisa. The Mona Lisa, although famous in the art world for its unique techniques as a Renaissance painting, gained much of its cultural notoriety from its theft in 1911. Although the piece was returned 28 months after the thieves attempted to sell it to an art dealer in Florence, its absence was felt throughout the museum. The Louvre reopened in the wake of the theft. Mobs of people queued to see the blank space left by the painting, an excitement that persisted with its eventual return. Today, the Mona Lisa attracts 8-10 million visitors a year. My family accounted for 5 of those people this August during our trip to Paris, and I can confirm that the cultural enthusiasm first sparked by its theft persists to this day. Getting even close to the famous painting is a feat, with a crowd more akin to a mosh pit gathering around it.
Culture and the heist
This cultural fascination with theft, or the stereotypical heist, is evident in popular films such as Ocean’s 11 and Ocean’s 8. Ocean’s 11 grossed $450.7 million worldwide, with Ocean’s 8 pulling in a similarly impressive $297.7 million. Another franchise rooted in theft comes from an admittedly different set of Steve Martin comedy films: The Pink Panther. A notable fact about these two film franchises is that they are both remakes of earlier films of the same name. The original Ocean’s 11 was released in 1960, and the original The Pink Panther was released in 1963. They were hits for their time, but the decision to remake them confirms the enduring demand for films in which a crafty, complex heist is performed. Over 60 years later, these films remain culturally relevant, ever appealing to our fascination with theft.
But what drives this fascination? Perhaps the jealousy that, in a matter of minutes (7 in the case of the most recent Louvre robbery), the fortunes of individuals can be shockingly altered, with the breaking of the law potentially changing the lives of the ordinary. It may also be the outrage at the idea that these individuals are “cheating” by breaking the law and skipping steps socially perceived as necessary to success. Cultural anger could also be responsible, with the theft of items perceived as essential or part of a unique place or culture perceived as a direct attack on the place and culture itself.
I would argue that any one or a combination of these factors contributes to public interest. This interest has been piqued in the aftermath of the most recent Louvre robbery. Coverage has been nonstop, with the Louvre Museum as a term on Google Trends reaching its peak in popularity within days of the October 19th robbery. The stakes have never been higher, with the jewels in danger, according to an interview French 24 conducted with Dutch art historian Arthur Brand. Brand revealed that the most critical time in a robbery is immediately after, when the jewels could be destroyed or broken up into smaller pieces for easier sale.
CASE UPDATES
As of now, the French police investigation is still ongoing. Updates have been regular, with the significance of the jewels and the museum itself being a matter of national identity. According to New York Times correspondent Catherine Porter who is based in Paris, five people have been arrested with one directly linked to the crime scene. These arrests were made on Wednesday October 29th with the help of various police operations across Paris, and despite this progress no jewels have yet to be discovered. Earlier in the same week, two different suspects were aprehended at the Charles de Gaulle airport, bound for Algeria.
Of this group of five, two have been charged. A 37 year old man and a 38 year old woman, the man allegedly a direct participant in the crime and the woman complicit in preparing it.
The massive lack of security that even allowed this to happen will surely be a priority for the Louvre as France grapples with this new reality. In an investigation headed by Culture Minister Rachida Dati, they report “chronic, structural underestimation of the risk of intrusion and theft at the Louvre for the last 20 years”. Such a “structural underestimation” will no doubt be a top priority for not only the Louvre itself, but the French government as the museum is in itself a cultural symbol of France.
The story continues to unfold, with the police diligently examining all possible leads, and will likely remain completely unsolved until, at last, the jewels themselves can be tracked down. However, given the already two weeks since the robbery, time is ultimately France’s worst enemy as the longer the investigation takes, the larger the potential for the jewels to be hidden for good.
But one thing is for certain, this story and the fate of the jewels continue to capture the public’s imagination. One can only hope for their safe return and perhaps even a permanent place in culture, as happened all those years ago with the Mona Lisa.