Water Leak Hits Louvre’s Denon Wing, Mona Lisa Display Unaffected

A water leak struck the Denon Wing of the Louvre Museum in Paris, home to some of the institution’s most valuable artworks. 

However, the display area of the Mona Lisa was not impacted by the incident.

A union representative said the leak was caused by a technical malfunction on an upper floor overnight, prompting the closure of the exhibition space to visitors and the installation of scaffolding. 

A spokesperson for the museum had not commented on the incident at the time of reporting.

The representative added that no assessment of potential damage had been completed as of Friday afternoon.

The incident marks the second leak in less than three months at the Louvre, which has recently faced a series of setbacks. 

These include the theft of high-value jewelry, labor strikes, and a wide-ranging investigation into alleged ticket forgery, placing the museum’s management under intense scrutiny.

Separately, the Paris prosecutor’s office announced that police had arrested nine individuals as part of a probe into a ticket fraud scheme that may have cost the world’s most visited museum an estimated €10 million ($11.86 million).

In a statement, prosecutors said those detained include two museum officials, several tour guides, and an individual described as the alleged ringleader. 

Authorities also seized nearly €1 million in cash and approximately €500,000 held in bank accounts as part of the operation.