The Louvre Museum's director resigned Tuesday after months of pressure following the October theft of the French crown jewels, as the world's most visited museum faced widening scrutiny over security failures, labour unrest and a suspected ticket fraud scheme. Laurence des Cars quit after a punishing year for the former royal palace - the high-profile jewels heist from the Apollo Gallery, a mid-February burst pipe near the "Mona Lisa," water leaks damaging priceless books, staff walkouts and a wildcat strike over overcrowding and understaffing. The landmark has faced a widening narrative of an institution spiralling out of control. And that pressure deepened in recent weeks when French authorities revealed a suspected decade-long ticket fraud operation linked to the museum that investigators say may have cost the Louvre 10 million euros (USD 11.8 million). President Emmanuel Macron accepted des Cars' resignation as "an act of responsibility" at a moment when the Louvre needs "calm"