Rabat – The spring 2019 exhibition “Colors of Impressionism” at the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rabat has attracted 20,000 visitors, a record number.
Princess Lalla Hasna, the King’s sister, opened the exhibition, which brings impressionist masterpieces from the Musee D’Orsay in Paris to Rabat, on April 9.
Artists on display include Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, Eugene Delacroix, Edouard Manet, Paul Cezanne, Vincent Van Gogh, Gustave Caillebotte.
Over 20,000 people have visited the exhibition since it opened three weeks ago. At this rate, it may well become the museum’s most popular exhibition to date, ahead of the 2017 blockbuster exhibition “Face to Face with Picasso” which brought 45,000 visitors.
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“We’ve never reached such record numbers,” the president of the National Museums Foundation, Mehdi Qotbi, told Moroccan news outlet Le360 about the impressionist exhibition.
Abdelaziz Idrissi, the director of the museum, believes the Moroccan public is interested in impressionist art. “The names of these famous artists are well known in Morocco, which makes the exhibition attractive,” he told Le360.
According to Qotbi, “Moroccans like culture, unlike what some people like to say! When we show them something of quality, they know how to appreciate it.”
In addition to “Colors of Impressionism,” the museum is also hosting two other temporary exhibitions and its permanent exhibition. This is also likely contributing to the record number of visitors.
“Hassan Glaoui, Salt of the Earth” showcases paintings by the Moroccan artist famous for his depictions of “fantasias,” traditional shows of horsemanship. The exhibition runs until August 31.
“Lights of Africa,” on show until August 19 and in partnership with the NGO African Artists for Development, brings 54 artworks by 54 artists from the 54 African countries.
“The museum’s offer is large and diversified, so it can attract all sorts of visitors, those interested in contemporary art, as well as those interested in modern art,” Idrissi told Le360.
The museum has also changed its opening times from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., extended from the previous close time of 6 p.m., which allows people to visit the museum after they leave work.
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