The China Mail - Louvre shuts gallery over ceiling safety fears

The Campana Gallery, which houses nine rooms dedicated to ancient Greek ceramics, will be closed while investigations are conducted into "certain beams supporting the floors of the second floor" above it, a statement said.

The announcement has no link to the recent robbery at the world's most visited art gallery, but is more unwelcome news for an institution that has faced severe criticism in France over its security shortcomings.

A four-strong gang raided the Louvre last month with an extendable ladder and power tools in broad daylight, making off with jewellery worth an estimated $102 million in front of startled visitors.

Before the break-in, the museum's top administrator had warned publicly about conditions inside the former royal palace, which saw 8.7 million people visit its vast galleries last year.

Louvre boss Laurence des Cars warned in a memo in January about a "proliferation of damage in museum spaces, some of which are in very poor condition".

Some areas were "no longer watertight, while others experience significant temperature variations, endangering the preservation of artworks", she added.

- 'Unpredictable -

The Campana Gallery is located on the first floor in the Sully wing at the far eastern end of the complex, with the second floor above it identified by the museum as having structural issues.

The area is currently used as office space and the security scare was caused by "recent and unpredictable developments", the museum said.

The 65 people who usually work there are being relocated while further investigations take place.

"During these investigations, the Campana Gallery ... will be closed to the public as a precautionary measure," the statement said.

A spokeswoman told AFP the gallery had been closed on Monday but that its priceless exhibits -- thousands of vases, cups and various containers -- would not be moved for the time being.

The whole museum was closed for three days following the robbery on October 19.

The window broken by the thieves, which is visible from the pavement outside and the river Seine, has since become a tourist attraction.

Four people have been charged over the embarrassing heist, including the two men believed to have broken in, according to prosecutors.

They are believed to be small-time criminals who left a long trail of DNA evidence and dropped some of their bounty, notably a diamond- and emerald-studded crown that once belonged to Empress Eugenie.

Authorities have so far not recovered the stolen jewels.

C.Mak--ThChM