Following the agreement in 2016 of the partnership between the Francis Bacon MB Art Foundation and the École du Louvre, in which the Foundation awards a research grant to a PhD student every four years, Majid Boustany wished to support the École du Louvre in its extensive programme of works, entitled ‘Projet École du Louvre 2021’. This project comprises the creation of a research centre, together with the redevelopment and refurbishment of the school’s library and its adjoining offices, the restructuring of its documentation and IT services and refurbishment of the cafeteria. This ambitious architectural project, whose sole patron is the founder of the Francis Bacon MB Art Foundation, will take place in the Aile de Flore (Flore wing) of the École du Louvre and is expected to reach completion in 2021. It will reconfigure the institution as a whole, placing documentation and research at the heart of education, at the heart of teaching. The Foundation’s name will appear on various plaques within the École du Louvre.
On 8 June 2020, a meeting between Franck Riester, the French Minister of Culture, Claire Barbillon, the Director of the École du Louvre and Majid Boustany, patron of this project, concluded with the announcement of the launch of this major programme of works. This patronage represents the greatest support ever received by a teaching institution under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture.
I am extremely pleased about this future project ‘Ecole du Louvre 2021’, which the patronage programme of Majid Boustany, the most important ever received by a teaching institution under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture, has made possible. The development of the École du Louvre is an opportunity for its students, its researchers, its teachers, and for this place at the heart of our heritage.
Franck Riester, French Minister of Culture.
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