In 1993, the Louvre Museum formally became an autonomous établissement public administrative (public administrative establishment) possessing the nature of a legal person entity. Shortly thereafter, a small number of French museums adopted relevant reforms under the restructuring of the Ministry of Culture. Over the years, 15 museums, almost one-third of the total number, have followed suit. This study attempts to explore the intention behind the reforms of the Louvre and the French museum system–in particular the relationship between the upper management structure and the museums–mainly through a review of the literature. Furthermore, the impact of the public administrative establishment on the French traditional management system of museums will be discussed.