San Francisco Frontiers - Louvre opens first fashion exhibition after shock memo about decay

The show, called "Louvre Couture", welcomed its first visitors a day after a shock memo from the museum's director about water leaks, building problems and overcrowding made headlines internationally.

The exhibition features around a hundred items of clothing by 45 top designers, placed alongside objects from the Louvre's vast collection of decorative artworks, from chests of drawers to armour.

In one instance, a Dolce & Gabbana wool dress printed with a mosaic and embroidered with crystals, stones, and sequins echoes the patterns of an 11th-century Italian mosaic from Torcello, near Venice.

Louvre director Laurence des Cars said the show demonstrated "a subtle and precise dialogue between creations from the 1960s to today and the collections of the decorative arts department, highlighting the deep connection between art and designers".

The world's most-visited museum is hoping to emulate the success of fashion exhibitions hosted by New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and London's Victoria and Albert in recent years.

A major 2017 retrospective about Christian Dior at the Museum of Decorative Arts, which occupies a wing of the Louvre Palace, led to huge queues and drew a string of A-listers.

- 'Not good enough' -

The Paris landmark has become a national subject of concern after the revelation Thursday of a confidential memo written by des Cars to Culture Minister Rachida Dati warning about the "proliferation of damage in museum spaces."

Des Cars wrote that the museum suffered from leaks and extreme temperatures, and was a "physical ordeal" for some visitors because of a lack of relaxation areas.

"Food options and restroom facilities are insufficient in volume, falling well below international standards," she added.

In a sign of the importance of a building that is a "source of French pride", President Emmanuel Macron announced a visit to the national monument next Tuesday.

"It would be wrong to remain deaf and blind to the risks affecting the museum today," an aide told reporters.

The head of state is expected to inspect the galleries personally, having hosted a state dinner there in July for other world leaders on the eve of the Paris Olympics.

The Louvre received 96 million euros ($101 million) in public subsidies in 2024. It is hoping for an extra 100 million to cover renovations, a source close the institution told AFP on condition of anonymity.

It welcomed 8.7 million people last year -- around twice the number it was designed for.

Asked about conditions inside on Thursday, Culture Minister Dati said she wanted to increase prices for non-European visitors to help increase funding.

"The visiting and working conditions are not good enough for... the biggest museum in the world," she told reporters. "We need to be innovative, including with financing."

The Louvre is set to host a fundraising gala during Paris Women's Fashion Week in March when around 30 tables have been offered for sale, with more than one million euros raised already.

"Louvre Couture" runs until July 21.

A.Clark--SFF