OIC, King Salman Arabic Academy Hold Symposium on 'Culture of Islamic Peoples'

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) logo
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) logo
TT

OIC, King Salman Arabic Academy Hold Symposium on 'Culture of Islamic Peoples'

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) logo
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) logo

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) General Secretariat, represented by the Department of Cultural Affairs, will hold a virtual symposium Thursday titled the “Culture of Islamic Peoples and the Arabic Language."

The symposium will be held in cooperation with the King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language (KSGAAL).

Holding the symposium comes in implementation of the resolution issued by the 50th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers, which took place August 29-30 in Yaoundé, regarding the support, promotion, preservation, consolidation, and dissemination of the Arabic language.

It aims to focus on the realization of studies, research, and linguistic references related to the Arabic language, as well as the cultural identity components of Islamic countries.

It also seeks to support the presence of the Arabic language locally and internationally through cultural events.



Van Gogh Painting Falls Short of Expectations in Hong Kong Auction

A visitor looks closely at 'Les canots amarres' by Vincent van Gogh at Christie's new Asia Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong. Peter PARKS / AFP
A visitor looks closely at 'Les canots amarres' by Vincent van Gogh at Christie's new Asia Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong. Peter PARKS / AFP
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Van Gogh Painting Falls Short of Expectations in Hong Kong Auction

A visitor looks closely at 'Les canots amarres' by Vincent van Gogh at Christie's new Asia Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong. Peter PARKS / AFP
A visitor looks closely at 'Les canots amarres' by Vincent van Gogh at Christie's new Asia Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong. Peter PARKS / AFP

A Vincent van Gogh painting displaying the artist's shift from dark realism to vibrant impressionism sold for US$32.2 million at a Hong Kong auction on Thursday, falling short of expectations that it would fetch a record-breaking price.
"Les canots amarres" -- or "the moored boats" -- was the centerpiece of an inaugural evening sale held to celebrate the opening of auction house Christie's new Asia Pacific headquarters.
According to Christie's, it was expected to fetch HK$230-380 million (US$30-50 million) on the auction floor, AFP reported.
If bidding had reached the higher end of the estimated value, it could have surpassed Jean-Michel Basquiat's "Warrior" -- which went for HK$323.6 million in 2021 -- as the most expensive Western painting sold in Asia.

But the hammer of auctioneer Adrien Meyer fell Thursday at HK$250 million.
Cristian Albu, deputy chairman and head of 20th/21st century art at Christie's Asia Pacific, said the price was the "record of a Van Gogh in Asia.”
The auction house was "cautious" with its lineup on Thursday in hopes of boosting market confidence, added Ada Tsui, head of evening sale and specialist for 20th/21st century art.
Owned by the Italian royal family of Bourbon Two Sicilies, the Van Gogh painting is "the most important painting by the artist ever to be offered in Asia,” Christie's said in its introduction.
"'Les canots amarres' marks a vital stepping stone in his career," it said.
The painting is one of about 40 works Van Gogh developed around the scenic French town of Asnieres, a boating hub on the outskirts of Paris, during the summer of 1887.