UNESCO invites public to view its rich art collection during museum night

The United Nations agency tasked with preserving the world’s cultural heritage will on Saturday open the doors of its Paris headquarters to the public for guided tours of its rich collection of masterpieces and artistic works.

This is the second time the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is taking part in the “European Night of Museums.”

The event offers unique presentations of the culturally diverse museum collections around Europe, and coincides with the agency’s International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures.

It is also linked with the “International Museum Day” declared by the International Council of Museums and celebrated on 18 May every year since 1977. The event will start at 8 p.m. and last until midnight.

UNESCO has an impressive and diverse collection of 600 works of art by masters such as Picasso, Miro, Arp, Appel, Afro, Matta, Calder, Chillida, Giacometti, Moore, Tamayo, Soto, Vasarely, Cruz-Diez and many others.

The collection has grown continually over the years thanks to the generosity of UN Member States committed to enriching and embellishing UNESCO’s headquarters. The agency boasts the largest artistic heritage within the UN system.

Meanwhile, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova will be paying an official visit to China from 17 to 22 May, during which she will meet with senior Government officials in the capital, Beijing, and take part in the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai.

Speaking ahead of her first visit to the country as head of UNESCO, Ms. Bokova paid tribute to China’s ancient culture and praised its “exemplary dynamism and creativity.”