CAIRO, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Art D'Égypte, an Egyptian platform of art and heritage, announced plans to hold the fourth edition of its annual art exhibition at the Giza Pyramids and the surrounding plateau in 2021, which will be the first international exhibition of the kind in the country's most famous archaeological site.

In an open-air ceremony held on Saturday evening near the three Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, Nadine Abdel-Ghaffar, the French-Egyptian founder of Art D'Égypte, said the upcoming exhibition is meant to convey a message that humanity will survive all crises.

"Our fourth edition of Art D'Égypte's exhibition seeks to integrate international contemporary art with ancient Egyptian art," Abdel-Ghaffar told Xinhua during the ceremony, adding the exhibition also promotes cultural tourism in the country.

The founder also addressed an invitation to Chinese artists and museums to take part in the exhibition scheduled for October next year.

"We want to invite Chinese artists and museums to join the event and display their works. You can consider this an official invitation from Art D'Égypte to the most renowned Chinese artists and museums to join us in next year's exhibition," she told Xinhua.

"China also has an ancient civilization. So, China is very important to us and it strongly supports art," Abdel-Ghaffar noted.

The exhibition will be held under the auspices of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as the patronage of the UNESCO.

Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled al-Anany, who attended the event, said he liked the idea of holding an annual art exhibition at an Egyptian historical site after the first edition in 2017 proved successful.

"In 2017, some people wondered how we display ancient Egyptian arts and antiquities side by side with contemporary art, but I saw no contradiction and the first exhibition was a success like the next two," the minister told reporters.

The opening ceremony, with the three Pyramids lit up in the background, was attended by dozens of Egyptian officials, business tycoons, senior Egyptologists and archaeologists, public figures, UNESCO representatives and foreign diplomats.

"Art D'Égypte has selected the Pyramids for the fourth edition ... It sends a message that Egypt is a place of heritage, civilization and also contemporary art," French Ambassador to Egypt Stephane Romatet told Xinhua at the event.

He highlighted that the event will be a sign of human unity through art during the time of COVID-19 pandemic.

Zahi Hawass, Egyptian world famous egyptologist and archaeologist who once served as antiquities minister, said the artist who will display his paintings at the Pyramids Plateau "will write his name in letters of gold in history."

"The event also shows that Egypt ... is taking strict precautionary measures against COVID-19, encourages tourism ... and creates a huge artistic and cultural momentum," Hawass told Xinhua. Enditem

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