World Art Day is annually celebrated on April 15 by the International Association of Art (IAA/AIAP), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), a partner of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), to encourage the development, diffusion, and enjoyment of art.
Background:
i. World Art Day was proclaimed at the 40th session of UNESCO’s General Conference in 2019.
ii. The day was proposed at the International Association of Art’s 17th General Assembly in Guadalajara, Mexico.
- The day was recognised for the 1st time in 2012, when the IAA proposed adopting April 15 as World Art Day.
iii.Long-time Artists For A Better World (AFABW) Int member, Becky Mate, founded World Art Day locally in 1998 and has championed the celebration every year since.
Why April 15?
World Art Day has been proclaimed by the city of Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA), on April 15, which is the birth anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci.
- The date was chosen to honour Leonardo da Vinci, who is recognised as a symbol of world peace, freedom of expression, tolerance, and brotherhood.
Note: The Italian polymath Leonardo da Vinci, the greatest artist in history, was born on 15th April 1452 in Italy. Some of his notable works are “Mona Lisa”, “Last Supper”, “Portrait of Ginevra de’ Benci“, and “Virgin and Child with St. Anne”.
UNESCO & Art:
i. Celebrating World Art Day, UNESCO helps to emphasise the importance of artists to sustainable development, promote a wider understanding of the diversity of artistic expressions, and strengthen the connections between artistic creations and society.
ii.The establishment of UNESCO’s art collection coincided with the construction of UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris, France, built by Marcel Breuer, Luigi Nervi, and Bernard Zehrfuss, in the 1950s.
iii. The art collection of UNESCO includes works by Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Jean Arp, Karel Appel, Afro Basaldella, Alexander Calder, Roberto Matta, Henry Moore and Rufino Tamayo, among others.
iv. Currently, UNESCO is home to the greatest art collection in the United Nations (UN) system, which includes over 700 ancient and contemporary pieces representing diverse artistic styles from around the world.
International Association of Art (IAA):
The IAA was established in 1948 in Beirut, Lebanon, during the 3rd General Conference of UNESCO. It became an independent body in 1954 and was declared a UNESCO partner.
President- Teemu Mäki
About the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):
Director-General- Audrey Azoulay
Headquarters- Paris, France
Establishment- 1945 (came into force in 1946)
Members- 193 Members and 11 Associate Members.
