Look: Rare French Impressionist art at Louvre Abu Dhabi

A comprehensive showcase of the French Impressionist movement has opened today as the Louvre Abu Dhabi’s latest international exhibition.

Displaying more than 150 artworks, the exhibition highlights the reactions of a revered group of French artists to social and economic upheavals in the mid-1850s to the end of the 19th century. Visitors can therefore get close-up views of a number of famous works by Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne, Auguste Renoir, and Gustave Caillebotte.

Impressionism: Pathways to Modernity will run until February 5, 2023, including through the museum’s fifth anniversary on November 11. Addressing media at a press preview, Manual Rabate, museum director, said the exhibition is like the present of a ‘box of chocolates’ on this milestone anniversary of Louvre Abu Dhabi.

The Cup of Chocolate’ by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1877 – 1878), a new acquisition by Louvre Abu Dhabi, will be unveiled for the first time in this exhibition.

'Woman with a Coffee Pot' (1890-95), oil on canvas by Paul Cezanne.

Pathways to Modernity is a momentous and thought-provoking exhibition of unprecedented scale in the Gulf region, demonstrating remarkable tenacity and ambition as we inch closer to our fifth anniversary. This exhibition exemplifies the museum's ongoing desire to continually re-think art history, open minds to new perspectives and promote cultural connection and dialogue. A special thanks goes to Musée d’Orsay, France Muséums and our esteemed French partners, who have helped in bringing this exhibition to fruition,” Rabate said.

Sylvie Patry, chief curator and deputy director for collections and curatorial affairs at Musée d’Orsay, told Gulf News that the exhibition portrays a time of artistic energy and social development in France, much like what the UAE is experiencing at the moment. “The Impressionists were an artistic movement at a time when cities were developing, and there was a growth in new media.

The speed of life was increasing, and more people were becoming tourists to explore the world. How these Impressionists responded to these changes forms the crux of this exhibition, and it will resonate with people in the UAE and the region who are experiencing similar changes today,” she explained.