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Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi/ Photo: APF
Countess, Mr. Levett, Francis Cotes, Portrait of William and Panelope Welby Playing Chess, United Kingdom,1769, Oil on canvas, Louvre Abu Dhabi, LAD 2013.007

GALLERY 9

A NEW ART OF LIVING

During the 18th century, the affluence that had previously been the preserve of monarchs was attained by an increasingly large segment of society. The spread of manufactured products around the globe progressively transformed economies and stimulated new modes of consumption in China, Japan and Europe where manufacturers offered new goods to an increasing number of consumers. As a result, greater attention was paid to the furnishing and decoration of houses as well as personal adornment and dress. Across all continents, the arts reflected an increased emphasis on the private sphere, the individual and the family and with the growth in global exchange, the arts developed an imaginative image of remote lands and cultures. Europe was increasingly pervaded by a philosophy of progress and reason referred to as the Enlightenment. This intellectual movement focused on the individual and their role in history, as illustrated by the American and French revolutions at the end of the century.

Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi/ Photo: Thierry Ollivier
Pair of folding screens showing the arrival of Portuguese merchants in Japan, Japan, c. 1625, H. 171, W. 376.8 cm; ink, colour and gold on paper, Louvre Abu Dhabi, LAD 2015.018

Photo RMN - Michel Urtado
Countess Skavronskaia, Russia, St Petersburg (?), 1796, Elisabeth-Louise Vigée-Le Brun (Paris, 1755–1842), H 0.8 m W 0.66, Oil on canvas, Musée du Louvre

RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Franck Raux
Mr Levett and Miss Glavani in Turkish Costume, Turkey, Constantinople (modern Istanbul), About 1740 Jean-Étienne Liotard (Geneva, 1702–1789), Oil on cardboard, Musée du Louvre

RMN(Château de Versailles) F.Raux
Jacques-Louis David, Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul, Crossing the Alps on 20 May 1800, France, 1803, H. 268, W. 224 cm; oil on canvas, Musée national Des Châteaux De Versailles et De trianon , MV 8550

Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi/ Photo: APF
Francis Cotes, Portrait of William and Panelope Welby Playing Chess, United Kingdom,1769, 135 × 152 cm, Oil on canvas, Louvre Abu Dhabi, LAD 2013.007
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