Morocco and France deepen museum cooperation through FNM-IMA partnership

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The Fondation Nationale des Musées (FNM) and the Institut du Monde Arabe (IMA) have agreed to expand their cultural partnership, with a particular focus on museum cooperation, exhibitions and the promotion of Moroccan heritage.

FNM President Mehdi Qotbi and IMA President Anne-Claire Legendre signed the new agreement on Monday in Paris, marking a further step in institutional ties between Morocco's museum network and one of France's leading centers for Arab cultural heritage.

A broader framework for museum exchanges

The agreement builds on contacts established during Legendre's visit to Morocco earlier this summer, her first trip to the Kingdom since taking charge of the Paris-based institution.

During that visit, she toured several Moroccan museums and discussed possible areas for collaboration with the FNM. Among the initiatives now being explored are exchanges of exhibitions between Moroccan and French museums.

Legendre highlighted upcoming IMA projects that could travel to Morocco, including an exhibition examining the heritage and architectural legacy of the Alhambra, as well as a photography exhibition devoted to Palestine.

The cooperation is also expected to cover several artistic fields, ranging from photography and Islamic art to contemporary creation.

Casablanca museum highlights Morocco's cultural expansion

Legendre also pointed to her visit to the new photography museum in Casablanca as an important experience in understanding the scale of Morocco's recent investment in its cultural institutions.

As the IMA prepares to reshape and redesign its own museum, she said cooperation with Moroccan museums could provide opportunities for exchanges of expertise, collections and exhibitions.

She described Morocco's expanding network of cultural institutions as particularly significant, emphasizing the country's growing ability to showcase both its historical heritage and contemporary artistic production.

The IMA intends to strengthen its links with these institutions as part of a broader effort to deepen cultural relations between France and Morocco.

FNM stresses the importance of long-term cultural cooperation

For Mehdi Qotbi, the new agreement consolidates a relationship that has already produced concrete initiatives. He particularly welcomed the IMA's contribution to the organization of a major exhibition devoted to Palestine, building on an earlier presentation hosted at the institute's Paris headquarters.

Qotbi also described Legendre's recent visit to Morocco as a gesture of friendship and encouragement toward the country's museums.

He linked the development of Morocco's museum sector to a long-term national cultural policy that has sought to make the country's history and heritage more accessible to the public through museums.

Moroccan heritage takes center stage at "Vive la mariée"

The signing ceremony took place alongside the opening of the IMA's exhibition "Vive la mariée", which launches the institution's autumn cultural program.

Dedicated to wedding traditions across the Arab world, the exhibition will run until February 29, 2027, and gives Morocco a prominent place through a substantial selection of objects, jewelry, traditional attire and heritage loans.

Several pieces provided by the Fondation Nationale des Musées illustrate the diversity of Moroccan wedding traditions, while contemporary artists offer additional perspectives on the cultural practices surrounding marriage.

For the IMA, the exhibition demonstrates that cooperation with Morocco is already producing tangible results. The new agreement therefore combines two dimensions: expanding future collaboration while showcasing projects that already connect Moroccan and French cultural institutions.