The ex-director of the Louvre suspected of having bought looted works of art

The former director of the Louvre in Paris Jean-Luc Martinez has been officially identified as a corruption suspect. He would be responsible for the illegal purchase of looted works of art in the Middle East. Martinez was placed under surveillance by French justice.

The reason for the suspicion is the purchase of Egyptian archaeological finds in 2016 by the Louvre branch in Abu Dhabi. Five objects were purchased for a value of at least 15 million euros and, according to some, even tens of millions of euros. This included a pink granite stone, with hieroglyphs and the name of Pharaoh Tutankhamun on it.

In 2018, an investigation was launched by the courts because doubts arose about the origin of the works. It was suspected that fake certificates of authenticity had been used. The papers contained information about the origin of the art and about the sellers. But justice thinks it is actually looted art. The Egyptian works were allegedly stolen during the Arab Spring and then resold illegally.

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Former museum director Martinez is now officially suspected of “fraud in an organized context”. He would have been aware of the fraud with the papers and would have turned a blind eye. Martinez directed the Louvre from 2013 to 2021. Today, he works for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as an ambassador for the preservation of world heritage.

Two prominent employees of the Louvre are also suspected in this case, as well as three others, including an art dealer and an antiquities specialist. The latter would also be involved in the sale of works of art looted from a New York museum in 2017 with false documents.