During the opening ceremony of the 7th edition of [size=14][red]Beirut Art Fair[/red][/size], His Excellency Raymond Araygi the Lebanese Minister of Culture, gave to [size=14][red]Laure d'Hauteville[/red][/size], founder and director of the fair and to [size=14][red]Pascal Odille[/red][/size], Artistic Director, a “Daraa”: a honorary distinction from the Lebanese Ministry of Culture.

This distinction rewards Laure d'Hauteville for the many actions she has conducted for more than 25 years for the international cultural influence of Lebanon and especially the Beirut Art Fair, a contemporary art fair held under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism, respectively represented by His Excellency Raymond Araygi and His Excellency Mr. Michel Pharaon.

Since her installation in 1991 in Lebanon, this country has become her adoptive country. In Lebanon, she first created and directed from 1998 to 2005, the international contemporary art fair ARTSUD which success led to the creation of several parallel editions in Dubai from 2000 to 2002, in Paris in 2002, Moscow in 2002 and 2003, Las Vegas in 2004 and Abu Dhabi Art Fair in 2005.

Pascal Odille is Artistic Director of Beirut Art Fair since the first edition in 2010, the year Laure d’Hauteville choose to begin her international fair of modern and contemporary art. Expert in Modern and Contemporary Art at the C.N.E.S [grey]National Chamber of Specialized Experts[/grey] since 1997, he also works with various public institutions in the Middle East as a consultant for the art of ME.NA.SA [grey]Middle East, North Africa, South & South Est Asia[/grey] region and regularly publishes analyzes on the art market in various media.