The world famous Louvre Museum in Paris will hold an exhibition of Islamic artifacts at the national museum here next January, according to Erick Pinon, cultural attaché at the French Embassy. Pinon said Prince Waleed ibn Talal, chairman of Kingdom Holding Company, donated a gift of $20 million to the Louvre as part of his effort to promote Islam in the West, Arab News reported here today. “The exhibition in the capital will be a major step in the cultural relations between Paris and Riyadh,” Pinon said, adding that such activities could bring the two countries still closer. France intends to display the masterpieces from its collections of Arabic and Islamic artifacts. The upcoming show is being arranged by the Musee du Louvre and the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT), in cooperation with the Department of Antiquities and Museums and the National Museum located at the King Abdulaziz Historical Center. An agreement for the exhibition was signed between SCT Secretary General Prince Sultan ibn Salman and Secretary General of the Louvre Henri Loyrette in Riyadh recently. “The French are deeply appreciative of the contributions made by the members of the royal family towards developing Islam in France,” Pinon said, recalling that two months ago the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz during his visit as crown prince had donated 1 million euros to the Arab World Institute in France. --More 1146 Local Time 0846 GMT
