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Dhabi as our neighbors in the coming years, these major sister institutions The first work ever acquired for the museum was Piet Mondrian’s
further enriching the emirate’s historical, cultural and artistic programmes. Composition with Blue, Red, Yellow and Black (1922) in 2009. Eloquently
The key component of offering access to a collection is ensuring that depicting pure beauty and balance, it played a significant role in the
it is understood by those who encounter it. As such, the role of the universal development of abstract art. Such works change the way we see the world.
museum as an educational platform cannot be underestimated. Welcoming This book is an invitation to discover several dozen champions of human
thousands of schoolchildren each year to engage in a multitude of activities, creativity, all housed in the magnificent museum designed by Jean Nouvel –
our educative mission is further reinforced by our strong relationships with whose architecture is a masterpiece in itself.
such institutions as Zayed University, Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi and
New York University Abu Dhabi.
This publication, however, provides insight into the essence of Louvre
Abu Dhabi: its works of art. The objects we acquire are, quite simply,
a means of promoting culture and education. Artworks are chosen for
the relevance of their individual narrative as well as their complementary
capacity to integrate into our existing collection. Collectively, in dialogue
with each other, they recount our shared human history. The museum’s
curatorial team, led by Dr. Souraya Noujaim, Director of Scientific,
Curatorial & Collections Management, has risen to the challenge of
building the collection, a glimpse of which is offered in this book. The final
choice successfully presents a comprehensive overview of the collection,
highlighting remarkable pieces from every period and region. Masterpieces
include rare early figurative works such as the Bactrian statue from Central
Highlights of the Collection Asia dating from 2300-1700 BCE, the Chinese Dragon (450-250 BCE), Highlights of the Collection
the bronze Dancing Shiva from India (950-1000), Guanyin, Bodhisattva of
Compassion (1050-1150), the Monumental Lion (1000-1200), a key Islamic
art object in the museum, and a suit of armour bearing the crests of 4th
lord Nabeshima from Japan (1707-30). Other treasures are works on paper,
Louvre Abu Dhabi manuscripts from the Holy Quran and medieval illuminations. Decorative * James Cuno, In Praise of the Encyclopedic Museum, Louvre Abu Dhabi
objects in metal, ceramic, marble and silver testify to the ingenuity of
artisans across millennia. The medium of painting is celebrated in Giovanni
Bellini’s Virgin and Child (1480-85), Rembrandt’s Head of a Young Man
(1648-56) or more recent works by Caillebotte and Magritte.
Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2018.
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