The world famous Louvre Museum in Paris will now be hosting over 12 centuries of Islamic art. On Tuesday, Secretary-General of Alwaleed Philanthropies, Saudi Arabia’s Princess Lamia Bint Majed Al Saud, unveiled the latest expansion of Center of Education in the Department of Islamic Art at the Musee du Louvre in France’s capital.
Princess Lamia
Exploring and celebrating Islamic art, the museum’s partnership and with Alwaleed Philanthropies made the new dedicated spaces possible. The exhibition for Islamic Art will feature over 3000 artifacts found from around the world, including Spain, India and the Arabian Peninsula, dating from between the 7th to the 19th century. Paris’ Louvre is home to one of the biggest archives of Muslim art in the world.
Speaking about the Louvre Paris’ new spaces dedicated to Islamic art, Her Royal Highness, Princess Lamia stated, “We believe that art has a special ability to unite people of different cultures and faiths. The new and expanded spaces allow visitors to enjoy world-class Islamic art and appreciate the shared human values expressed in its creativity. Importantly, this space has also been designed to be inclusive of everyone, with interactive features to ensure the art can be experienced by all.”
The relationship between the Louvre Paris and Alwaleed Philanthropies was first established in 2002, and in 2005, Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, the chairman of the organization, donated USD 23 million for the Department of Islamic Art to be set up.
Jean Luc Martinez, the President of the Louvre Paris, thanked Alwaleed Philanthropies, in a statement and commented, “Thanks to this redesign, we hope to reach even more visitors, and provide them the keys to understanding the wonderful artistic heritage with which we have been entrusted,” whilst also commending the Saudi organization for its “commitment in favor of the Islamic Arts Department.”
