The Louvre in Paris, which is one of the most famous museums in the world recently opened up a new wing for Islamic art. Ironic as it seems because the opening of the new wing was on the same day that the France government started closing down their embassies in some Islamic countries in light of extremist attacks.
The ‘nervousness’ was widely contributed by the tension that has been going around the world recently but the show must go on. The new wing was built with about €100 million and is the result of the efforts by the French government. There were also some additional injection from the Islamic countries like Oman, Azerbaijan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
At the new wing are some 3,000 works in the Islamic history which will be placed and exhibited on the 3,000 square meters. Items and artwork included are those that were collected from the 7th to 19th centuries and will be scattered around the 2 levels of space. There will be 18,000 treasures that come from countries around Europe as well as in India.
It is a good exhibition that will exude and demonstrate that Islam is actually a peaceful civilisation especially with the pre-conception that some are having in light of recent events. There will also be the oldest love letter in the Islamic world on display. To be part of the Louvre would be most appropriate as there are about 4 million Muslims in the country while the museum is one of the most remarkable places in the world for art and history.
The head of the department of Islamic Arts at the Lourev is Sophie Makariou who said that the new wing will surely provide a fresher look for Islam and to dispel all the negativities that have been placed around it by the jihadists and extremists around the world today.
