In the courtyard of the Visconti, which has best preserved the original decor of the 17th century on the territory of the huge museum complex, a structure will appear that resembles a flying carpet made of glass discs. Under this rainbow blanket, there will be two levels of exhibition halls, one of which will be underground - for exhibiting objects that are sensitive to light. The $ 67 million project by architects Mario Bellini and Rudy Ricciotti will be completed by 2009. $ 31 million will be contributed by the French government, and $ 4.8 million - by the oil company Total.
Now the exposition of the museum is about 1300 items from the collection of Islamic art, which includes more than 10,000 items. The new halls will have 4 times the area (10,000 sq. M), which will also allow exhibits from the nearby Museum of Decorative Arts to be displayed.
Prince Walid bin Talal is a prominent businessman, the main private shareholder of the Citigroup concern, the owner of 17% of the shares of Disneyland near Paris. His personal fortune is estimated at $ 23.7 billion.
