TEHRAN -- France’s cultural attaché to Iran Vincent Grimaud named the Safavid art exhibition, which is to be held at the Louvre Museum, Paris’s most prestigious cultural event of this autumn.

Entitled “The Song of the World”, the exhibition showcasing Persian Safavid-era (1501–1736) artworks, is to be held from October 5 to January 7, 2008.
“Such exhibitions are the means by which cultural and even political ties between countries can be bolstered. Both Iran and France have an extremely rich history and civilization,” Grimaud announced during a press conference on September 26.
He went on to say that the relationship between Iran’s decorative arts and Persian literary metaphors intensified during the Safavid period and that this is a theme that will be highlighted in the exhibit. He believes that the key to the interpretation of the art of the Safavid era is to be found in Persian literature.
The French cultural attaché added that the event is to be sponsored by Total Company and the TV channels Histoire and Europe 1 will be covering events.
The 200 artworks which are to be the focus of the exhibit have been borrowed from some of the world’s most prestigious museums including several Iranian museums, Grimaud added.
Curator of the National Museum of Iran (NMI), Mohammadreza Kargar called the signing of the cultural Memorandum of Understanding (MU) between Iran and France one of the most significant cultural events in Iran’s recent history. He urged that the safety of the artworks which have been lent be guaranteed by the Louvre Museum and that they be supplied with necessary insurance coverage.
Managed by Souren Melikian, the exhibition will outline the evolution of art in Iran under the Safavid Dynasty (1501–1736)