Europe 1 with AFP 15:37 p.m., December 20, 2023

Jack Lang, 84, who was reappointed on Wednesday as head of the Arab World Institute in Paris after months of speculation, dreams of turning this showcase of Arab culture in the West, which he has directed since 2013, into a global centre for modern and contemporary art.

This fourth term (of three years) was ratified by a "unanimous vote" of the board of directors, the latter announced in a statement. The statutes of the Arab World Institute (IMA) do not provide for an age limit or the number of terms for its presidency, unlike other cultural institutions.

"Our ambition is to make Ima the most important museum of modern and contemporary Arab art in the West, while remaining faithful to its primary mission of discovering Arab history, language and culture," Lang, who marked France in the 80s as culture minister, told AFP.

In 2018, the IMA benefited from an exceptional donation from the Lebanese gallery owner Claude Lemand, who offered it more than 1,800 works, including those of great names such as the Algerian Abdallah Benanteur, the Syrian Youssef Abdelké and the Lebanese-American Etel Adnan, bringing its permanent collections to 3,400 pieces.

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Only "two other institutions have larger funds than ours: Mathaf in Doha and Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates," said Nathalie Bondil, director of the Institute's museum and exhibitions department.

The announced metamorphosis, which will probably involve an "extension" of the museum, should be completed by "workshops and courses on modern and contemporary Arab art", according to Mr. Lang, who also wants to multiply "itineraries" of temporary exhibitions and works "in France and internationally". To this end, the Ima, which reports to the Quai d'Orsay, has received an exceptional subsidy of six million euros over three years from the Ministry of Culture.

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Appointed to his presidency in 2013 by the President of the Republic François Hollande to succeed Renaud Muselier, Jack Lang has since turned around an institution adrift, pinned down by the Court of Auditors in 2008, and whose budget, of "26 million euros with a beneficiary self-financing capacity" is now "in balance", he said.

His method: dynamic – and profitable – exhibitions, such as "Once Upon a Time on the Orient Express" (2014) or "The Divas of the Arab World (2021)". And the "strong links" forged "between the IMA and the Museum of Art and History of Judaism", as well as "exhibitions dedicated to the three great religions of the book" (Islam, Judaism, Christianity), which he readily cites among the "successes" of the programme.

An increase in visits of around 15% for 2023

At the same time, this networker has developed a policy of patronage towards Arab countries. In 2017, Saudi Arabia announced that it would contribute five million euros to the renovation of the Ima.

"I will travel again to obtain contributions and co-productions from foreign museums," he said, citing the departure of the "Perfumes of the Orient" exhibition for Riyadh in May. In terms of attendance, the number of visitors exceeded 600,000 in 2022 and the IMA expects "an increase of about 15%" for 2023.

The result of a partnership between France and the countries of the Arab League, opened in 1987, the Arab World Institute is a foundation under private law. If, from its creation, the idea of equal financing between Arab countries and France was the rule, it was abandoned at the end of the 1990s, some countries having never paid their dues.