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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


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