From April 22 to July 20, the Manarat Al Saadiyat Exhibition Center on SAadiyat Island hosts the Birth Of Museum exhibition, which contains 130 unique exhibits from the future collection of the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum, opening which is planned for 2015. Among the works presented are ancient artifacts from around the world, including from Egypt, Turkey, Greece and Mali, showing the rich and diverse history of civilization, cultural and everyday traditions of different countries and eras. Religious beliefs and the development of art are reflected in bronze, wood and ceramic sculptures, silk paintings, folios with the inscriptions of the Qur'an Surah, drawings and jewelry.
The concept of the museum in Abu Dhabi differs from the Paris Louvre, where separate halls are dedicated to each historical era, events or artists. In the Emirate's Louvre, in each hall, exhibits will be presented relating to different civilizations and eras, but connected by one topic.
Within the framework of the current exhibition, the whole pavilion is dedicated to European art of different centuries: the works of Paul Gauguin ("The Contraction of Children", 1988), Rene Magritte ("Enthusiastic Reader", 1928), Eduard Manet ("Gypsy", 1861-1862) and Pablo Picasso ("Portrait of a Lady", 1928). Along with them, a number of paintings on historical and biblical subjects are presented, for example: “Madonna and Child” by Giovanni Bellini of the Early Renaissance and “Good Samaritan” by the Flemish painter Jacob Jordaens. Thus, these works retrospectively reflect the evolution of aesthetic taste and artistic techniques of European culture over five centuries.
The chairman of the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Committee, Sheikh Sultan bin Tanun Al Nahyan, said: "The Museum Birth Exhibition confirms the commitment of the Abu Dhabi authorities to create a collection that will reflect the cultural ambitions of our city and its leaders.
We hope that the ever-growing universal collection of the museum will continue to build bridges between civilizations, emphasizing the specificity and individuality of each culture. "This exhibition will be supported by educational programs, which will include numerous seminars and excursions - for both children and adults. The exhibition is advocated by Lawrence de Kars, with the support of the leadership of the Paris Louvre and the authorities of Abu Dhabi.
It is worth recalling that the completion of the museum, which became widely known at the design stage, is scheduled for 2015. The project of the world famous architect Jean Nouvel "The Louvre Abu Dhabi", whose area is 64 thousand square meters. meters, it is a complex of pavilions, shopping centers, pedestrian zones and canals, and personifies the image of the city, "floating" on the seas. At the same time, the domes of the building through which the light will penetrate are inspired by the motives of traditional Arabian architecture. In total, 9.2 thousand square meters will be provided on the territory of the complex. meters of art galleries. The permanent exhibition will include a collection of exhibits that allows you to trace the history of civilization from antiquity to the present day. On another 2 thousand square meters. meters will be the masterpieces of contemporary authors.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi will be one of the main cultural institutions that will be located in the center of the cultural quarter of Saadiyat Island, unrivaled in scale and importance. In 2016, the Zayed National Museum will also open on the island, and in 2017 - the Guggenheim Museum, also designed by world-famous architects. All of them will add attractiveness to the island of Saadiyat, where it is also planned to develop residential, entertainment and tourism infrastructure. It is expected that the introduction of museums in Abu Dhabi will be able to additionally attract 1.5 million tourists.
