Page 15 - Highlights of the Collection

logic of the new empires drawn up on a continental scale, to the detriment and contrasting templates for the creation of a connected imagery. Artists
of indigenous peoples. These empires imposed their rule on the conquered are exploiting new media and radical gestures to redefine the frontiers of art.
territories, took hold of trading routes, and established monopolies in favour The unprecedented acceleration of time is being countered by a frenetic, even
of commercial companies, all the while relying on slavery and the massive ephemeral art scene, a collective mirror of a world where, more than ever, the
exploitation of resources. “meaning and fate of art” remain a mystery.
The mass spread of exotic and manufactured products transformed
both consumption patterns and the arts. Homes were decorated, fashion
dictated clothing and mass-produced articles appeared on the market.
Accounts of journeys across America, Africa, China and India fascinated
readers. Artists took part in these technical or iconographic exchanges,
executing orders from abroad.
Europe was gripped by the philosophy of progress and reasoning,
known as the Enlightenment. This intellectual movement glorified the role
of the individual, as illustrated by the American and French revolutions.
With its roots in 19th-century Europe and America, the Industrial
Revolution led to a massive economic and societal upheaval, while becoming
the instrument of colonial trading companies in Asia, Africa and Oceania.
Modernity arrived at full gallop, unsettling established ways of life. The
development of railways and steamships opened up access to hitherto
inaccessible territories. The invention of photography in August 1839 opened
the door to an artistic revival via the choice of contemporary subjects,
Highlights of the Collection overturning in an unprecedented manner the status of imagery and our Highlights of the Collection

perception of reality. Less than one century later, artists laid hold of a new
medium, film, soon to become a global phenomenon.
Beset by upheavals and conflicts on a worldwide scale, the
20th century turned out to be an earthquake, shaking up everything hitherto
Louvre Abu Dhabi taken for granted. The conquest of space, the digital revolution and artificial Louvre Abu Dhabi
intelligence foreshadowed a period of change on an unprecedented scale.
Through colours and form, art has started exploring new paths, from
abstract art, via surrealism to ready-made art. Avant-garde artists made non-
Western creations a new crucible of multipolar inspiration, and innovative

12 13