The Louvre Abu Dhabi is set to celebrate its 5th anniversary this November with three new exhibits as part of its 2022 – 23 cultural season.
This anniversary involves the region’s first-ever Impressionist exhibition, Impressionism: Pathway to Modernity, and artwork of selected artists for the Richard Mille Art Prize in November. In January 2023, the museum will feature a Bollywood Superstars exhibition.
Manuel Rabaté, museum director beautifully justifies the vision and mission of the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
“As we mark our fifth anniversary this November, Louvre Abu Dhabi continues to offer something for everyone with this upcoming season, from exhibitions and new artworks to special events and programming. We remain deeply rooted in our community, committed to our mission of telling stories of cultural connections to the world through our upcoming exhibitions”
The Louvre Abu Dhabi seeks to celebrate the stories of culture, explore connections and find commonalities between international visitors through art that transcends the boundaries of cultures, geographies, and time. Dr. Souraya Noujaim, the scientific, curatorial, and collections management director adds
“We would not be able to achieve this without expanding the narrative through the collection and the partners — from the heart of this region to Paris, and around the world — continually helping us foster moments of discovery for our visitors as we celebrate our anniversary.”
The Impressionist exhibition, Impressionism: Pathway to Modernity will run from the 12th of October, 2022, to the 5th of February, 2023. This exhibition explores the key moments of this artistic movement that began in Paris in the 1860s and how it revolutionized the way of perceiving and painting the world. The curator of this exhibition is curated by Sylvie Patry, chief curator and deputy director for collections and curatorial affairs at Musée d’Orsay, and Stéphane Guégan, scientific advisor to the president of Musée d’Orsay et Musée de l’Orangerie. This partnership brings together 100 Impressionist masterpieces under one roof to explore a sprawling period that spans from the mid-1850s to the end of the 19th century, with an emphasis on how artists saw the birth of a new world with changes in society and economy.
During the museum’s fifth anniversary celebrations, the Louvre Abu Dhabi and Swiss watchmaking brand Richard Mille will hold the second edition of the Louvre Abu Dhabi Art Here 2022 exhibition and the Richard Mille Art Prize from November 2022 to February 2023. Art Here 2022’s entries are asked to examine the concept of the icon percolates within contemporary art practices and to inform on new artistic perspectives. The theme is to understand the distinction between an icon, which is an object, an image, or a symbol, and what it means to be iconic. Artists participating are encouraged to use icons to reignite the effect known as iconic.
This year, the exhibition will welcome entries from contemporary artists based in the United Arab Emirates and across the Gulf Cooperation Council (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman), both citizens and residents. The selected artists’ work will be showcased at the museum’s Forum. This space dedicated to celebrating contemporary art will be curated by Reem Fadda, director of the Cultural Foundation.
Overall, this collaboration is a meaningful platform for artists in the region and serves to expand the already fascinating display at the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Call for submissions will be accepted until the 31st of July, 2022 via the museum’s website.
Now, on to the Bollywood Superstars exhibition that will open on the 25tth of January 2023, and run until the 4th of June, 2023. The exhibition is curated in partnership with Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac and France Muséums, and co-curated by Julien Rousseau, curator of the Asian Collection at Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac with Hélène Kessous, anthropologist and specialist of South Asian cinema.
The exhibition will explore and present the cultural richness of the Indian subcontinent’s art and diverse society through its long-standing tradition of filmmaking. India produces over 1,500 films exported through Asia, Africa, and the Middle East in 20 different languages. The exhibition that will run for six months explores the history of Indian cinema from its humble beginnings in the late 19th century to the present. The exhibition explores the history of Indian cinema from its birth in the late 19th century to the present.
Finally, coming to the final event on the docket as the Louvre Abu Dhabi celebrates its fifth anniversary, it will host a month-long festival with a packed cultural programming calendar. The festival will complement the ongoing programs on the latest additions, exhibitions and feature talks, concerts, performances, film screenings, workshops, and more. The highlight of this grandiose celebration will be a dance performance inspired by Impressionism: Pathways to Modernity, and an immersive theater experience based on the Bollywood Superstars exhibition.