CNN reporters on Thursday observed that masking tape had been used to cover the Sackler name on signs what was previously in the Paris museum’s Sackler Wing of Oriental Antiquities.
The wing, which houses Persian and Levantine artifacts, had borne the family’s name since its inauguration in 1997, after the billionaire philanthropists sponsored its renovation.
CNN reporters saw that tape had been used to cover the Sackler name on signs in the museum. Credit: Celia Heudebourg/Antoine Crouin/CNN
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A spokesperson from the Louvre told CNN that the Sackler name had been removed from rooms in the wing because the naming period had expired.
“The Theresa and Mortimer Sackler Foundation supported the renovation of rooms devoted to Persian and Levantine artifacts in 1996-1997. Since then, there have been no other gifts from the Sackler family,” the spokesperson said.
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They added: “On October 10, 2003, the Board of Trustees of the Museum decided to limit the duration of the naming of the rooms to 20 years. This patronage is more than 20 years old, the naming is legally finished and these rooms no longer bear the name of Sackler.”
The Louvre did not respond to requests for an explanation as to why the Sackler name had not been removed three years ago.
On the museum’s website, references to the “Sackler Wing of Oriental Antiquities” have been removed.
The Sackler Trust did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
Top image: Activists hold a banner reading “Take down the Sackler name” in front of the Pyramid of the Louvre museum, on July 1, 2019.