Page 437 - 100 Reflections that Crafted Geneva International_V-Petrovsky_private special edition
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Bringing the Concept to Life
to its inception when some of the finest artists of the time, most notably Jose
Maria Sert, were involved in the interior design of the building. Today it hosts
around forty art exhibitions each year. Over the years the Palais has accumulat-
ed an impressive permanent collection, including paintings, sculpture, ceramics
and carpets which collectively reflect the richness and diversity of culture
across the globe. This art collection, which is a culmination of hundreds of gifts
from Member States, is an expression of the culture of tolerance and peace
which the United Nations endeavours to promote.
The Palais is a rare building one that can instruct our future as well as
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teach us about our past. The magnificence of its architecture was inspired by
the aspirations on which the League of Nations was founded. The League
bequeathed its dream of building a better world to the United Nations. Our
critics will always accuse us of failing on this count. But we would truly fail
them, along with the rest of the world's peoples, if we aspired to less.
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