French President Says Louvre Must Protect Artifacts In War Zones

Last year, President Hollande asked the president of the Louvre, Jean-Luc Martinez, to prepare a report for protecting heritage in areas of conflict after the destruction of the ancient site of Palmyra in Syria by Isis last year. Martinez subsequently devised a 50-point plan, including establishing a single European database of seized or stolen cultural property. In 2018, Louvre is due to start moving more than 250,000 works of art and artefacts from Paris to the 23,500 sq. m, €60m store in Liévin, a move which has enflamed some of the museum’s curatorial staff.