Should museums replace works with copies?

Seven minutes, a freight elevator, and an angle grinder, that’s all a small team of robbers needed to steal jewelry from the Louvre’s Apollo Gallery on October 19, 2025. And this isn’t unprecedented: in 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen by a museum employee and only resurfaced two years later. Faced with that kind of risk, some museums now quietly display reproductions instead of originals. Is this common? When are copies used? But can copies deceive? Do we feel the same emotion facing a copy? So, should museums swap originals for copies? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the latest episodes, click here: ⁠Will the British museum finally give back the Parthenon marbles?⁠ ⁠What is the 9/11 Museum?⁠ ⁠What are the dangers of hustle culture?⁠ A Bababam Originals podcast written and realised by Amber Minogue. First Broadcast: 2/2/2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices