Who Is Laurence Des Cars? Woman To Become First Female Director Of The Louvre

Who is Laurence des Cars?: French art historian Laurence des Cars will become the Director of the Louvre Museum on September 1, 2021.

It marks the first time a woman will be in charge of the museum since it opened more than 200 years ago. Laurence des Cars is currently the director at the Musee d’Orsay, the Paris museum where she was the first female director.

Who Is Laurence des Cars?

1. Art historian and general curator of heritage Laurence des Cars specialises in nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century art.
2. She studied art history at Paris-Sorbonne University and École du Louvre. She was a teacher at École du Louvre and organised several exhibitions for museums.
3. In 1994, she became a curator at the Musee d’Orsay. In 2017, she was appointed as the director of the museum by then-President François Hollande.
4. In 2011, she was appointed as the general curator of the heritage of the Musee de l’Orangerie. In 2014, she was appointed as the director of the museum by Minister of Culture, Aurelie Filippetti.
5. Des Cars has been vocal about being in favour of restituting the artworks that were looted by the Nazis. She played a role in the French government’s decision for the Musee d’Orsay to return a painting to the previous owner’s heir. The painting was Gustav Klimt’s “Roses” which was previously made by Nora Stiasny. “Roses” was stolen from her by Nazis in 1938.
6. In 2019, while des Cars was a director at the Musee d’Orsay, the museum explored racial and social issues in an exhibition. The exhibition was named “Black Models: From Gericault to Matisse”.
7. Laurence des Cars has written several illustrated essays including on the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a group of painters, art critics, and poets. She also belongs to an upper-class family of journalists and writers.
8. She was appointed to become the Director of the Louvre Museum from September 1, 2021. She will be the first female director of the world’s largest museum since it was established 228 years ago.