'Every museum in the world is stressing': How brazen art heists are affecting visitors - BBC

1 October 2026Bailey BergGetty Images(Credit: Getty Images)A spate of brazen thefts has rocked European museums. Now, some institutions are rethinking what's worth displaying. Visitors stepping into the Louvre's Galerie d'Apollon today will come face to face with more than 60m (198ft) of painted ceilings and dazzling sculptures. What they won't find, however, are the iconic treasures that once glittered inside its display cases. The gallery reopened in July 2026, nine months after thieves made off with France's crown jewels in one of the most audacious museum robberies in recent memory. The surviving gemstones have since been moved elsewhere while the Louvre determines how to display them more securely. The Louvre heist is just one example of how a recent string of museum thefts across Europe is changing what travellers can actually see in these beloved institutions. AlamyA string of recent high-profile museum robberies has rocked Europe (Credit: Alamy)According to Europol, such incidents have risen sharply and are becoming increasingly brazen. As one museum security expert in Belgium told the BBC: "Every museum in the world is stressing right now.