Abu Dhabi: Art collectors, enthusiasts, and lovers of art in general will all find a home at the Louvre Birth of a Museum Exhibition which will remain open to the public until July 20.
With 130 pieces of the Abu Dhabi Louvre’s permanent collection on display, the exhibition, held at Saadiyat Island’s Cultural District, showcases artefacts, paintings, sculptures and many items from all over the globe, many of which will be seen for the first time.
For many residents the opportunity to visit the exhibition means furthering their personal knowledge of the world and fulfilling their hunger for creativity.
“Being a clothes and accessory designer and maker, I feel that this experience has inspired me to incorporate many of the works I have seen at the exhibition within my art work. I also feel that just by reading about the pieces and artefacts and learning their history, my understanding of ancient cultures has been improved,” said a 37-year-old Emirati mother and student at the Higher Colleges of Technology.
Meanwhile, visitors and tourists from Germany, Canada and Italy roamed the halls on the exhibition’s first day. “The one thing I admire the most other than the fact that some of these works have never been seen before, is the exhibition’s structure and organisation. It really tells a story of cultural and religious unity and universalism,” said former pharmacist Canadian Hazel Milne.
Referring to the placement of the Torah, Bible and Quran next to one another she continued: “This gesture sends a great message from the UAE to people worldwide because many would expect a Middle Eastern museum to be focused on Islamic or Arabic art yet we find works from countries all over the world.”
The exhibition contains items from Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Mali and other countries, which is a major change from the European-centric works found in the Paris Louvre Museum, the exhibition’s general curator, Laurence des Cars. said in an earlier statement.
“Visitors will find displayed a collection reflecting tolerance, knowledge and education and bringing them out into the open. Yes there are many religious concepts on display as there are also sensitive issues. However this is being done in a tasteful matter and not for the sake of shocking,” des Cars said earlier. Guiding exhibition guests through the chronologically ordered works, the ambient lighting and animated screens displayed in every section will make descriptions of the artworks available in Arabic, English and French.
