Louvre opens Islamic art wing

15:40, 22 September 2012

PARIS. September 22. KAZINFORM The Louvre Museum in Paris is opening a new wing dedicated to the art of Islam. It has taken a decade and nearly 100m euro (£80m) and comes to fruition amid tensions between the Muslim world and the West.

This is the most significant and innovative architectural extension to the Louvre since IM Pei shook the venerable institution with his glass pyramid in 1989.

At the time, there were many who argued that his structure would destroy the classical beauty of this palace of art. Now, of course, it is among the most popular attractions in Paris.

Opening this weekend in the neo-classical, 19th Century Visconti courtyard of the Louvre, the new Department of Islamic Art has a undulating glass and metal roof, resembling a floating carpet, under which will be displayed the largest and most significant collection of Islamic art in Europe, Kazinform refers to BBC.

The new extension of the museum has generally been welcomed, but comes at a very sensitive time in relations between the West and the Muslim world.

The gallery, partly funded by the French government, is a statement which underlines its desire to be in the forefront of engaging with the Arab world and the Middle East, in all areas, from culture to politics.

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