Moroccan artist and president of Morocco's National Museums Foundation, Mehdi Qotbi, was promoted by French president Emmanuel Macron to the rank of Grand Officer of the National Order of Merit, one of the highest honors bestowed by the French Republic, during a ceremony held Thursday evening at the Elysee Palace. Addressing the recipient, the French president emphasized that Mehdi Qotbi is an «exceptional artist» and «a bridge builder between countries and people». «Qotbi is a purveyor of arts and talents», the French president added. «You never stop creating, exhibiting, teaching plastic arts, meeting people who inspire you and those who inspire them», he said, addressing Qotbi. Macron, who described the artist as «one of the links between France and Morocco», explained that Qotbi is «one of those who work daily to revive this unique and solid fraternal bond that unites our two countries». «This merit is an honor for me as it goes beyond my personal recognition of the great collective work done by the National Museums Foundation, which, under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and thanks to the great support and attention that His Majesty the King gives to culture and the arts, has been able to produce unprecedented major national and international exhibitions, as well as contribute to the preservation and promotion of our rich multicultural heritage around the world», Qotbi said. After being made a Knight of the Legion of Honor by former French president Jacques Chirac in 2000, then an Officer of the Legion of Honor by his successor Nicolas Sarkozy, the Moroccan artist was promoted to Commander of the Legion of Honor in 2016 by President François Hollande. The ceremony was attended by French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Stéphane Séjourné, President of the Institute of the Arab World Jack Lang, as well as figures from the worlds of diplomacy, culture and the arts.
