The Louvre Museum announced the acquisition of a Lebanese private collection of 272 Christian Eastern icons, a move that will substantially enrich its forthcoming Department of Byzantine Arts and Christianities in the East. While the exact amount of the 'private contract' acquisition was not revealed 'by common consent,' according to La Croix, the collection's cultural and historical value is considered immense.
The collection was originally assembled by Georges Abou Adal, a Lebanese private collector, who primarily built it between 1952 and the early 1970s. His dedication to preserving Christian iconography led him to gather works from a geographical area including Greece, Russia, and the Balkans. In the 1990s, his son continued his legacy by supplementing the collection with acquisitions at public sales, further expanding its scope.
First unveiled to the public in 1993 at the Carnavalet Museum in Paris, the collection captivated audiences with its breadth and the quality of its pieces. In 1997, it was presented at the Museum of Art and History in Geneva, allowing a wider audience to appreciate its tapestry of Christian art.
Among the works is "a rare set of icons produced in the context of the renewal of the Greek Patriarchate of Antioch in the 17th century, particularly in Aleppo, and by the Arabic-speaking Christians of Syria, Lebanon, and Jerusalem," detailed the Louvre in a statement. These pieces offer invaluable insights into the history of Eastern Christianity and exemplify the cross-cultural influences of the period.
The collection spans productions from the early 15th century to the early 20th century. Created by artists, the icons represent a geographical area from Ethiopia to Russia, and from the Balkans to the Near East and ancient Mesopotamia. This range underscores the widespread reach and expressions of Christian iconography across different regions and eras.
The Louvre's future Department of Byzantine Arts and Christianities in the East is set to gather approximately 20,000 works. Several hundred pieces from the acquired collection will be exhibited to visitors starting in 2027 over an area of 2,200 square meters. The department aims to exhibit works dating from the origins of the Christian image in the 3rd century to the 20th century, providing a comprehensive panorama of Christian artistic heritage.
Many of the icons from the collection were exhibited elsewhere since their acquisition, reflecting their enduring relevance and the global interest in Eastern Christian art.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.