The Louvre heist: An over-glamorized monumental crime of the century
The sun was already up over Paris, and visitors had started to file through this historic museum in the heart of the French capital. In eight minutes, the suspects were speeding away with some of the country’s most valuable treasures. In what authorities are calling one of the most audacious and cinematic robberies in modern history, unidentified thieves executed a flawlessly coordinated heist.
The thieves were able to escape with a total of eight items, which French officials have described as priceless. The items included a tiara, necklace and a pair of earrings worn by Queen Hortense and Queen Marie-Amelie. Other items involved were an emerald necklace and earrings given as a wedding gift by Napoleon Bonaparte to his second wife, Marie-Louise, a pearl and diamond tiara and diamond brooch belonging to Empress Eugenie. Lastly, another brooch known as the “reliquary brooch.” However, it didn’t go entirely as planned for this team, as the Eugenie crown was later found damaged on the escape route, which we can assume was dropped in the frenzy.
Two culprits of the four-strong gang broke into a second-story window by using a truck with a ladder leading onto a balcony. They gained access to the Gallery of Apollo after breaking through the windows with angle grinders and masking themselves as workers. These thieves were quick and deliberate with their actions, taking only three minutes and 57 seconds to force their way into two cases, taking what they came for and getting away on scooters, of all modes of transport.
This kind of job was clearly premeditated, as if the strategies were taken right out of a movie. When looking into crimes like these, people are often fascinated with every detail. This very heist has been heavily glamorized by our society, and I have to say I agree with all the speculation. After watching “Ocean’s Eleven”, it quickly became one of my favorite movies, which many people resonate with. This stylish crime thriller revolves around charismatic rogues who knock over three casinos in one night, making away in a glamorous way that keeps the audience wanting to know more.
Audiences are so fascinated by these high art thefts because they are almost like movies themselves. When seeing thieves stealing historical pieces worth millions of dollars in cinematic ways, it sticks out like a sore thumb in the media. I’ve seen countless videos on social media highlighting this act, even going so far as to see people dressed up as the thieves themselves for Halloween.
Our society easily romanticizes concepts like thieves and criminals when we see them with beauty and prestige. It can be assumed that many people are rooting for these movie-like criminals to get away with these items, but in actuality, there should be no romanticizing this type of crime, as it will negatively affect the lives of otherwise innocent people wanting to know more about our history.
French authorities added the jewels to Interpol’s Stolen Works of Art Database, a global repository of approximately 57,000 missing cultural items, making these pieces nearly hard to find and possibly never to be seen again. A piece of history has been taken from us because of the selfishness of a couple of scooter-riding thieves.
