THE MAYOR of Paris has defended security measures at the city’s museums after a leaked report showed some premises were “particularly vulnerable”.
The leak of the scathing audit, written in 2007 by an inspectorate charged with security and safety at Paris museums, came 10 days after masterpieces by Picasso and Matisse were stolen in one of the biggest art heists in French history.
City Hall admitted last week the alarm system at the Museum of Modern Art had been “partially malfunctioning” since last March, which meant an intruder was able to steal five paintings worth €100 million.
In the report, published in yesterday’s Le Parisien, the inspectorate said municipal museums were “particularly vulnerable” and “modern methods aimed at . . . protecting the artworks are practically not used”.
Responding to the leak, mayor of Paris Bertrand Delanoë said that, on foot of the findings in the 2007 report, €10 million was made available to raise museum security standards.
An elite French police unit is investigating this month’s robbery and Interpol has alerted its 188 member countries.