Art Dubai Image Caption

At a ceremony at Art Dubai on Thursday, Sheikh Nahayan bin Mubarak Al Nahayan was awarded the Commandeur dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, the highest level of cultural recognition given by the French government. The award was given by Jack Lang, President of the Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris. Sheikh Nahayan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, gave a speech at the ceremony, which marked the cultural relationship between France and the UAE.

He commented: Both France and the UAE are committed to values that most obviously coalesce in the arts. In the arts, we encounter our differences and discover our common bonds. Indeed, we in the Emirates have become increasingly aware of universal and common bonds since we became a nation in 1971. Despite the very distinct Emirati culture that we hold so dear, the UAE has become a global crossroads. We live and work together peacefully and harmoniously because we all sense and cherish the universal and common bond. We have come to appreciate the values that we all share. And nowhere do we experience that phenomenon more than at events focused on culture and the arts. This afternoon we are in the midst of a perfect instance of that phenomenonnamely, Art Dubai. We would be hard-pressed to find two hairs alike at Art Dubai among either the exhibitions or the spectators, yet a respect for truth and beauty accommodates all differences and unites us in a truly global culture.