Création du département des arts de l'islam au Musée du Louvre (en)

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Jacques Chirac’s wish to open a section devoted to Islamic arts atthe Louvre was part of a desire “to consolidate the universal vocationof this prestigious institution” and to serve as a reminder of “thevital contribution made by Islamic civilization to our culture.”

Currently attached to the Eastern Antiquities department at the Louvre pending the 2010 creation of the Islamic Arts section, the Louvre’s Islamic collections comprise some 10,000 pieces, comparable to those of New York’s Metropolitan Museum and London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.

Creation of the new section will allow the Louvre to exhibit one of the world’s greatest collections of Islamic art under the best possible conditions.

- A pilot project led by Total -

This project is a perfect illustration of Total’s corporate philanthropy policy in its efforts to preserve the history and culture of the Middle East and North Africa, two regions where the company is particularly active. As a pilot project of Total’s corporate philanthropy policy, the creation of the Louvre’s Islamic Arts section comes after a previous partnership with the museum involving the restoration of the Galerie d’Apollon.