Didier Rykner: The Louvre needs to be “renovated”, Macron’s major project is “useless and expensive”

Stuart Norval is pleased to welcome Didier RYKNER, art historian, investigative journalist and founder/editor-in-chief of La Tribune de l’Art. Offering a forceful institutional critique of the Louvre’s current priorities, Didier Rykner argues that the museum’s main challenge is not a lack of resources, but a poor allocation of them. While acknowledging that security investments are both necessary and inevitable, he says the greatest threat to the Louvre lies in the deterioration of its historic fabric and the diversion of funds into what he sees as unnecessary and politically motivated architectural expansion. Rykner makes a broader argument about cultural governance: world-class museums should prioritize the preservation of their collections, buildings, and visitor experience over iconic prestige projects. His analysis ultimately frames the debate as one of management, asking whether cultural institutions should be guided primarily by practical conservation needs or by ambitious political visions.