Musée du Luxembourg to Close Indefinitely On January 31st

The Musée du Luxembourg, which is currently running a popular exhibit on legendary American glassmaker Louis Comfort Tiffany, will close its doors for an undetermined period of time after the exhibit ends on January 31st, as part of a planned management change. The French Senate, which oversees the museum, has decided not to renew the current administrator's contract, and has launched a public offer to find a new managing body, a Senate spokeswoman confirmed.

She said the Tiffany show is the last scheduled exhibit, and that the museum would remain closed until a new administrator is awarded the contract. "But this is only a temporary closure," she added.

Another source said 23 people working at the museum are being laid off as a result of the shuttering. Despite continuing to attract strong crowds for exhibits like Vlaminck and the Berardo Collection, the museum, which is Europe's oldest and was opened in 1750 as France's first state-run collection of paintings , has been suffering from slashed budgets this year, a Senate document said.