The pool of aquamarine is a respite from gusty, desert winds. And the soft, morning light that finds its way through a 7,500-tonne steel dome soothes the senses at the newest museum in the world. Welcome to the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Born out of a 2007 agreement between the governments of France and Abu Dhabi, which allows the Emirati museum to use 'Louvre' in its name for the next 20 years, the museum has been designed by maverick French architect Jean Nouvel. In the making for nearly a decade, the 55-building structure is the first “universal museum” in the Arab world. By 'universal', they mean “focussing on what unites us: the stories of human creativity that transcend individual cultures or civilisations, times or places”.
Louvre Abu Dhabi, whose director is 41-year-old Manuel Rabate, the former CEO of Agence France-Museums, will open to the public on November 11. And unlike Paris' Musee du Louvre, which does not have a single art object of Indian origin, Louvre Abu Dhabi has 150 from India among the 620 objects on display. The sculptures and paintings in this collection range from 12th century BC to the 20th century.
Sandstone frieze with Quranic verses from Rajasthan, about 1200CE (Credit: Ornella D'Souza)
“The Indian collection is an important part of the Louvre Abu Dhabi museum. It starts with a beautiful, 12th century Pala manuscript, then proceeds to a 10th century Shiva Nataraja in bronze,” says the Asian gallery's curator, Guilem André. “There's a large collection of Indian miniature paintings from the 17th-18th century, and also an important (SH) Raza painting that highlights his signature bindu.”
Among other prized objects of Indian origin on display are a Buddha bust from the Gupta Empire 400-500CE, an 1815-1820 painting of a Burmese delegation at the Mughal court from Delhi, gold coins from the Kushana Empire 1st century AD and a royal dagger carved with mythical Hindu creatures (1600-1665CE).
A Burmese delegation at the Mughal court in Delhi, 1815-1820 (Credit: Ornella D'Souza)
What to expect at LAD
1. The 55-building Louvre Abu Dhabi (LAD) will open to the public on Saturday, November 11.
2. The structure, designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, stands out for its steel dome, which seeks to replicate the imagery of light filtering from palm fronds — typical of the Emirati landscape. This “rain of light” effect was achieved by superimposing eight layers of stainless steel.
3. The museum has 23 art galleries, a children's gallery, a restaurant and a research centre.
4. Of the 620 objects on display, nearly 300 artefacts are from French museums, including 100 from the Musee de Louvre in Paris.
5. “A lesser known Da Vinci, loaned by Musee du Louvre to Louvre Abu Dhabi for a year is the La Belle Ferronniere, 1495-99. An inaugural exhibition will include Monet, Manet, Matisse and other da Vinci's but not the Mona Lisa because it's “too fragile to travel,” said Musee de Louvre director Jean-Luc Martinez.
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 "Louvre Abu Dhabi, Louvre Museum, SH Raza, SH Raza Bindu, Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci, Gupta Empire, Mughal Court,")
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