(January 13, 2026) – Last fall, the Louvre made headlines when thieves committed a brazen midday robbery in which they stole eight of the French crown jewels. The museum did not have private insurance for the collection and instead bore the risk of loss itself, according to news reports.
Alex Sugzda, partner at insurance recovery law firm Cohen Ziffer Frenchman & McKenna, took questions from Westlaw Today about insurance issues facing museums like the Louvre.
Westlaw Today: Can you describe the types of insurance coverage that museums and large institutions like the Louvre maintain?
Alex Sugzda: One would expect that any large, sophisticated institution like the Louvre would maintain the full suite of insurance products maintained by any large company: property, liability, crime, cyber, D&O, the list goes on and on. But by far the most important coverage would be property coverage, protecting the property in the event of fire, flood, other damage, theft and any number of other risks. Here, it is noteworthy that because the property owned by the Louvre is so valuable, it did not purchase property insurance.
Click here to read the full Q&A.