On Dec 4, 2012, 8 years after Jean-Pierre Raffarin chose Lens to build the new museum, President François Hollande, alongside the First Lady Valérie Trierweiler, the Ministry of Culture Aurélie Filippetti, The director of Le Louvre Henri Loyrette, The Mayor of Lens Guy Delcourt, the previous Prime Ministers Lionel Jospin and Pierre Mauroy officially inaugurates the Louvre-Lens.
She left her position at the GEE in 2001 to travel to the USA where she was a law teacher for several months at the Law university of Columbia, New York before joining the Paris Bar in June 2001, Noelle Lenoir is named in 2002 Minister of European Affairs by Prime Minister Raffarin.