The National Museum of Iran has been visited by over 270,000 people since the beginning of the current Iranian year (March 21), registering a remarkable record in the museum's history.
According to the stats, the figure exceeds the total number of people visiting the museum during the whole last year (started March 21, 2017). Jebre'il Nokandeh, head of NMI, attributed the unprecedented hike in the number of visitors to the ongoing 'Louvre in Tehran' event, launched in early February at the museum, so far receiving close to 180,000 visitors alone.
"The widespread promotion of the event and weekly events to introduce the featured items by Louver Museum headquarters at NMI have significantly aroused enthusiasm among people of all social strata for a visit to the exhibition," ISNA quoted him as saying.
Reportedly, 56 items taken from different parts of Louvre are on display at the national museum in four categories, including "The birth of a collection", "The glory of world civilizations", "Globalization dream" and "A living museum".
According to Nokandeh, the collection mostly includes objects belonging to civilizations in West Asia, Europe and North Africa, including Sumerians, Assyrians, Hittites, ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, as well as paintings and lithography works by Eugene Delacroix, French romantic artist (1798-1863) and Camille Corot, French portrait painter (1796-1875). The event is sponsored by the Iranian private bank Ayandeh and the French Total and Renault companies.
Next Host
Based on the negotiations held by the organizers, the exhibition that will wrap up on June 8 is slated to move to the Great Regional Museum in Khorasan Razavi Province for another two-month show once French officials grant their final approval. According to Nokandeh, the French officials will announce their final decision in the coming week, after deciding on the number of items to be transferred and ensuring security measures at the set venue.
The show will also feature the collection of photographs by late Abbas Kiarostami, kept at the Louvre Museum. The collection, titled "Look at Me" is currently on display at NMI.
"All the expenses of the extra two-month show should be paid by the Iranian side, in case the organizers come to final agreement on extending the show in Khorasan Razavi Province."
