AFL champion Jimmy Bartel was thrown out of the Louvre as a child when police accused him of STEALING the Venus de Milo
- Bartel was only 10 years old
- Shared his travel adventures
- Also got into trouble with Trump’s security
AFL great Jimmy Bartel has shared a bizarre childhood story about one of the most famous museums in the world and how the police accused him of stealing one of the most prized sculptures.
While visiting the Louvre in Paris with his family, 10-year-old Bartel fell ill and had to sit down while his mother and sister went to see the Venus de Milo sculpture.
Feeling better, Bartel got up to join them, but suddenly fell ill and puked at the bottom of the famous artwork.
The incident sparked a frantic response from security and police, who believed it was a stunt to steal artwork.
Pictured in his playing days for Geelong, Bartel had some crazy travel adventures with his family as a kid which he shared on 3AW
Venus de Milo statue on display at Musee du Louvre in France, luckily it wasn’t stolen or damaged by Bartel when he was a child
Prince Charles visits the Pyramide du Louvre in Paris, the same museum where a young Bartel was accused of throwing up as part of a robbery to steal art
“There was a big flu going through Europe at the time and I picked it up, so my mom and sister and I walk through the Louvre…you have the Mona Lisa and some of the greatest artifacts out there,” Bartel said on 3AW.
“I said to Mom, ‘I’m feeling a little unwell,’ and I started sweating.” She said, “Sit here for a while, we’ll go up and see the Venus de Milo.”
“I started to feel better, walked up and saw my mom and sister and they were on the other side… I’m standing there and it just hits me – you know when you’re absolutely a crook and you can’t do anything, you can don’t keep it inside.
“And I threw up at the bottom of one of history’s most famous works of art.
“Security and police flew in out of nowhere. I was taken to the infirmary with a frog and we were questioned by the police for an hour and a half because they thought it was a stunt to steal works of art.’
Bartel also shared another story of his travels with his family, recalling the time they accidentally entered the private office of former US President Donald Trump.
Bartel shares his childhood travel stories with listeners on 3AW, including their run-ins with Donald Trump’s security
Bartel and his family accidentally tripped in Donald Trump’s private elevator, which set alarm bells ringing
On a tour of Trump Tower in the early 1990s, the family wanted to get to the top to see the view, but accidentally ended up in Trump’s private elevator, setting off an alarm.
Security reacted aggressively, but Bartel’s mother rebelled against them, accusing them of being rude.
“When we got back to the elevator, they locked it down, they yelled and yelled at us,” Bartel said.
“My mom doesn’t back down, they were like ‘come down right away’ and she said ‘I don’t think so, you’re very rude, we’re going to level three and check out some shops first’.”
“There were a dozen armed guards, we were put against the wall… ‘what are you breaking into Donald’s office for?’
“Mom says ‘we’re just trying to see the view, your security isn’t very good’.”
Bartel is a 305-game Geelong legend and Brownlow Medalist who recently announced the birth of his daughter, Paloma Lucie, with his girlfriend, Amelia Shepperd.
He also has two sons with his ex-wife, Nadia Bartel. Despite his success on the football field, Bartel is known for his quirky personality and humorous anecdotes, making him a beloved figure in the AFL community.