Water Drips from The Louvre's Ceiling, Skims Close to Valuable Cimabue Artwork
The Louvre Museum in Paris experienced a water leak from its glass roof last Saturday, following a hailstorm, threatening the safety and integrity of several precious artworks during the "A New Look at Cimabue: At the Origins of Italian Painting" exhibition, running until May 12.
According to reports, water dripped into the Salle Rosa room, narrowly missing Cimabue's unprotected Maesta wooden panel painting (circa 1280, acquired by the Louvre in 1812, and susceptible to water damage). The painting's original decorated frame was unaffected.
In another instance, some drips hit the base of sculptor Nicola Pisano's Three Acolytes (1264-67), which was on loan from Florence's Museo Nazionale del Bargello. The label at the base was wet, but the artwork itself remained undamaged.
Duccio di Buoninsegna's Madonna of the Franciscans (1285-88), displayed under glass and lent by the Pinacoteca Nazionale in Siena for the exhibition, was fortunately shielded from water damage.
Louvre officials claimed that no works were harmed, and the museum closed the exhibition to the public just before 5 p.m. to permit firefighters to inspect the roofs and swiftly identified the cause - a damaged glass seal. The exhibition resumed normal operations on Sunday morning after the seal was replaced.
This incident has once again highlighted vulnerabilities within the Louvre's infrastructure, following a memo in January detailing structural damage, including the glass pyramid ceiling that is no longer watertight. French President Emmanuel Macron has called for an $850 million restoration project to secure the museum's historical and artistic treasures.
It is worth noting that The Centre Pompidou, Paris's top museum for modern and contemporary art, will be closing its doors in September for a five-year renovation. The extensive restoration, costing €262 million ($283.6 million), is necessary to maintain the museum building, designed by Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano, which has deteriorated since its construction in the '70s.
- Despite the Louvre Museum's recent hailstorm-induced water leak, modern and contemporary art at The Centre Pompidou appears unaffected, as it prepares to close for a five-year renovation, costing €262 million.
- The Louvre's contemporary exhibition, "A New Look at Cimabue: At the Origins of Italian Painting," showcases various works, including some that are susceptible to water damage like Cimabue's Maesta painting (circa 1280).
- The Louvre Museum's closure of the exhibition to the public following the water leak enabled firefighters to inspect the roofs and determine the cause – a damaged glass seal.
- In comparison to the Louvre's potentially compromised historical treasures, The Centre Pompidou's contemporary and modern art collection remains safe beneath renovations, with works such as Nicola Pisano's Three Acolytes (1264-67) on loan from Florence's Museo Nazionale del Bargello.
