From the Lebanese mountains to the banks of the Seine, the Abu Adal collection on display at the Louvre Museum

For years, the 272 icons of the Abu Adal collection, created between the 15th and 20th centuries, were displayed or stored in their large family home in Mar Moussa, in the mountains. This renowned collection, primarily assembled in the 1950s to 1970s, was part of the family. With great modesty, Freddy Abu Adal spoke about the impressive corpus he just parted with. "I have always lived with these icons, my father entrusted us with their care. It's like a child slipping away from you," he said with a hint of sadness. "I didn't choose the Louvre; they chose our collection in its entirety, and it's a blessing because it became too burdensome. During auctions, works can be scattered around the world, and the icons would have lost their message value. We couldn't imagine a better setting for them than the new...