The Louvre is suffering from water leaks and overcrowding, its director, Laurence des Cars, warned in a leaked missive to the French culture minister.

Des Cars, the first woman to lead the museum, told culture minister Rachida Dati, that the museum’s deteriorating facilities threaten its world-famous art collection.

There is a “proliferation of damage in museum spaces, some of which are in very poor condition,” Des Cars wrote in the memo, which was published on Thursday by Le Parisien newspaper. She continued that some sections of the museum “are no longer watertight, while others experience significant temperature variations, endangering the preservation of artworks.”

A major overhaul of the museum was needed, she added, despite the outside complications of the five-year closure of the Centre Pompidou for its own renovation, and the French government’s budget crisis. The Louvre is a national museum, so a significant percentage of its operating costs, including maintenance, are paid for by the state. A renovation of the magnitude that des Carnes deemed necessary would be an unprecedented expense.

The Louvre is also the most popular museum in the world, reporting around 8.7 million visitors to its galleries in 2024. However, that popularity is causing a “physical strain” on the 232-year-old building, while spaces for visitors “to take a break” are growing sparse, she wrote.