At renovated exhibition area for "Venus de Milo"

An unveiling ceremony, hosted by Director of Musée du Louvre Mr. Henri Loyrette, was held on July 5, 2010 at Musée du Louvre in commemoration of the completion of its new exhibition route which proudly displays one of its crown jewels, the statue of Venus de Milo, as part of its Hellenistic Art collection. The guest of honor was NTV Executive Chairman Mr. Seiichiro Ujiie, representing NTV who fully financed this renovation project, a portion of the grand plan to replace the entire Hellenistic exhibition. Also in attendance was General Director of Heritage of the Ministry of Culture and Communication Mr. Philippe Bélaval, on behalf of French Minister of Culture and Commuication Frédéric Mitterrand.

In the past, crowd congestion was a problem as the statue of Venus de Milo was displayed at the end of the gallery. However, the statue now faces the Seine River as it stands in the last exhibition room in the gallery of the south wing, thus remedying overcrowding.

In the hands of Musée du Louvre experts specializing in Hellenistic, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities, improvements took place over a 6-month period beginning in November 2009 and ending in April 2010. After meticulously researching the statue's state of preservation, checking previous restoration procedures and setting up a restoration plan, an exhibition method was decided upon based on academic viewpoints of Greek sculptures, resulting in a large-scale construction project to restore the statue, wash and restore the ceiling, walls and floors, and install new pedestals for each sculpture.

The statue of Venus de Milo was discovered in 1820 on the Aegean island of Melos (Milo in modern Greek) and transported to Musée du Louvre in 1821. At the time of discovery, portions of the nose and lower lip, the big toe of the right foot and a portion of the right hip were damaged, and those parts were retouched and repaired in line with the tradition of repairs employed to the 19th century. The controversy over whether or not to restore the missing arms of Venus de Milo ended with the unorthodox decision to exhibit the statue as is, without her arms.

In addition to the Venus de Milo project, NTV has continuously extended its cooperation and support in the past to various projects, such as the Mona Lisa Exhibition Room (Salle de la Joconde), and has already made the decision to fully back the upcoming restoration of the Winged Victory of Samothrace statue and its exhibition space. For NTV to have these opportunities to contribute to grand-scale cultural projects, such as the full preservation of Louvre's prided three treasures for succeeding generations, holds true meaning.

Public Relations
Corporate Administration
Nippon Television Network Corporation