The event focused on the exhibition “Icons of Albania, Treasures of the National Museum of Medieval Art of Korçë”, currently on display at the Museum of Fine Arts in Chambéry, and provided a platform to discuss Albania’s artistic heritage, scientific research and cultural ties with France.

Under the title “When international diplomacy inspires scientific research”, Nicolas Bousquet, director of the Chambéry museums, presented the history of the exhibition, which emerged from the twinning of the cities of Korçë and Chambéry and close cooperation with Albania’s National Museum of Medieval Art.

Maximilien Durand, director of the Louvre’s Department of Byzantine and Eastern Christian Art, offered an overview of the history of Byzantine and post-Byzantine painting in Albania. He highlighted the artistic importance of the works featured in the exhibition and the new avenues of research opened through cooperation between French and Albanian specialists.

The presentation of Albanian heritage at the Louvre added particular significance to the event, bringing Albania’s art and history into a wider European dialogue on culture, scholarship and shared heritage.

Albanian Ambassador to France Dritan Tola welcomed the opportunity to promote the country’s cultural heritage at the Louvre and praised the two speakers for their contribution.

“When diplomacy creates bridges between institutions and peoples, it also becomes a source of inspiration for scientific research, knowledge and the rediscovery of our shared European heritage,” Tola said.

The National Museum of Medieval Art expressed its appreciation to Bousquet and Durand for their work and contribution to promoting Albanian heritage, as well as to Françoise Mardrus, director of Museum Studies at the Louvre, for hosting the event.

The exhibition in Chambéry and the Louvre conference form part of a broader cultural cooperation effort linking Albania, France and European institutions through the study and promotion of Albania’s medieval artistic heritage.

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The exhibition, titled “Icons of Albania – Treasures from the National Museum of Medieval Art of Korçë,” will open on June 13 at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Chambéry and run until November 13, Culture, Tourism and Sports Minister Blendi Gonxhja said in a social media post a day ago.

The event marks a significant milestone in the international promotion of Albanian cultural heritage and is being organized within the framework of cooperation between the cities of Korçë and Chambéry, with support from Albanian and French cultural institutions.

French visitors will have the opportunity to discover a distinctive chapter of Albanian iconographic art through works that reflect centuries of artistic craftsmanship, historical continuity and spiritual tradition. The exhibition highlights the unique character of Mediterranean Christian art and its dialogue with broader European artistic traditions.

The works on display are drawn from the collection of the National Museum of Medieval Art in Korçë, which houses one of the world’s most important collections of Byzantine and post-Byzantine iconography, comprising thousands of icons and other cultural heritage objects.

Organizers say the exhibition aims to introduce European audiences to a largely underexplored artistic legacy while further strengthening cultural ties between Albania and France.

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Fjoralba Prifti, director of the National Museum of Medieval Art (NMMA), told Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA) the project reflects a shared commitment to European openness and intercultural dialogue.

Titled “Icons of Albania: Treasures from the National Museum of Medieval Art of Korça”, the exhibition will run from June 12 to Nov. 15, 2026, at the Chambéry’s  Arts Musée des Beaux Arts museum. It will feature around 45 Albanian icons selected from the NMMA’s collection.

The exhibition will offer a chronological overview of icon production in the southeastern Albanian region of Korça and beyond, from the 14th century to the early 20th century, introducing visitors to the Byzantine and post-Byzantine traditions of icon painting, their iconography and stylistic evolution.

Among the highlights are some of the earliest works discovered in the rock-cut churches of Prespa, dating to the 14th century, reflecting the Palaiologan aesthetic marked by harmonious colours and strong lines.

Icons from the 16th to 18th centuries will illustrate the diversity of post-Byzantine artistic trends in present-day Albania, combining adherence to traditional canons with formal innovation. The works originate mainly from Korça, Kolonja, Berat, Pogradec and Gjirokastër.

Prifti said particular attention will be devoted to identified master painters, foremost among them the renowned Onufri, whose most important collection is housed at the Korça museum.

The exhibition will also showcase works by notable artists including Master Konstantin of Vithkuq, Konstantin Hieromonakos, Konstantin of Shpat and pieces from the workshop of the Zografi brothers.

The show will introduce French and wider European audiences to an artistic heritage that remains little known in France and the European Union, and highlight the exceptional quality of works that survived destruction during the period of state-imposed atheism in the 20th century.

It will also explore artistic interactions between the Orthodox icon tradition and medieval and Renaissance religious art in Italy, represented in particular in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts in Chambéry.

The influence of Byzantine art, clearly visible in early Italian pre-Renaissance works, will provide scope for comparisons and fresh perspectives on artists such as Bartolo di Fredi, Grifo di Tancredi, Domenico di Michelino and Bernardino Fungai.

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