From Paris to the Middle East: here’s what the Louvre Abu Dhabi is bringing to the global art scene

Japanese artists Utagawa Hiroshige’s Plum Garden at Kameido (1857) and Sudden Shower on Shin-Ōhashi Bridge and Atake (1857), and Katsushika Hokusai’s Yōrō Waterfall in Mino Province (1830-1834)—both artists’ work is believed to have inspired Van Gogh—are exhibited right opposite Toulouse-Lautrec’s Divan Japonais (1892) and At the Gaieté-Rochechouart, Nicolle (1893). Both are posters featuring simpler, formal elements that departed from elaborate European fine art traditions. They highlight how Asian art had an undeniable impact on European post-impressionist artists.

In another section of the hall, there are two paintings by Egyptian artist Georges Hanna Sabbagh, The Artist and His Family at the Church of La Clarté (1920), on loan from Centre Pompidou, and The Sabbaghs in Paris (1921), a loan from the Musée de Grenoble. Sabbagh’s work was influenced by his personal life and the Nabi artistic movement, a branch of postimpressionism; he played an active role in the Paris art scene. His paintings in Abu Dhabi illustrate the far-reaching influence of post-impressionism from outside Europe and underscore the museum’s efforts in expanding the art history canon.

“The Louvre Abu Dhabi is completely different from [the one in Paris, where] everything is organised by departments: sculptures, paintings, drawings, decorative art, antiquity, oriental antiquities, and Greek and Roman antiquities,” says Jérôme Farigoule, chief curator of Louvre Abu Dhabi. “Here, our main goal is to build connections and dialogues between cultures. We mix to see the influence between the UAE and the rest of the world.”

The museum’s director Manuel Rabaté agrees. “It’s not an extension of the Louvre,” he says. “It’s a universal museum reimagined [to tell] the story of the commonalities of humanity through art. Instead of classifying [different cultures], we insist on their connectivity. So in the same showcase, you could have artworks from China, Japan, the local community to access global art, it also puts Emirati artists on the world map, such as through its annual art prize Art Here, which is supported by luxury watch brand Richard Mille.

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This year, more than 200 artists from the UAE and North Africa submitted works which explore the theme “awakenings” while making use of or responding to the museum’s intricately designed space. The finalists, selected in September, have their pieces displayed in the museum space until December 15. The winner, to be announced next month, will be awarded US$60,000.

Artist and poet Sarah Al Mehairi from Abu Dhabi is one of the five shortlisted candidates this year. Her audio-visual installation Shared Motion, which presents the word “wind” in Arabic, Farsi, Hindi and Urdu, reflects the linguistic landscape of the region surrounding the Arabian Sea.

“To be a part of the Abu Dhabi art scene is beautiful because you are not only becoming part of its history but also shaping its here and now,” she says, adding how pleased she is to witness her hometown becoming a hub for multicultural exchange. “I believe my work describes that growth well—it almost acts as a love letter to my city.” She says the biggest boon from being a finalist is the growth it’s giving her career. “It’s always amazing to see an institution like the Louvre Abu Dhabi supporting their own homegrown artists and bringing artists from across the region together.”

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Another shortlisted candidate is Franco-Tunisian artist Férielle Doulain-Zouari, who created Tilling the Soil. Consisting of 500 bricks made from clay, earth and sand from Tunisia and Sharjah, one of the seven Emirates that make up the UAE, the piece is inspired by archaeological sites in Abu Dhabi, and explores the concept of memory and landscape as affected by human and natural elements.

“The art prize has given me visibility [globally] and an opportunity to express myself,” says the artist, who is exhibiting in the UAE for the first time. She says making friends and connections was a highlight, and hopes to return to Abu Dhabi to create more art.

Just as the art on display at the Louvre Abu Dhabi connects the UAE to the world, so does the make-up of the team. According to Dr Guilhem André, the museum’s director for scientific, curatorial and collections management, both the curatorial teams and the management have “a strong Emirati presence, underscoring the museum’s commitment to incorporating regional perspectives”.

He highlights, for example, Aisha Al Ahmadi, a curatorial assistant who worked on Post-Impressionism: Beyond Appearances, and who played “a vital role as the Emirati member of the curatorial team. Her contributions highlight the museum’s dedication to empowering national talent in the art landscape.” Then in the C-suite, he says, there are Emirati directors in areas such as business development, marketing and communications, technical operations and visitor experience, “to foster local talent within the institution”.

Staff are also given the opportunity to train elsewhere. Al Ahmadi was sent to South Korea’s art institutions for a week in September. Curator Mariam Al Dhaheri, who will be in charge of the museum’s exhibition The Kings and Queens of Africa coming up in January, spent six months in the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris. Others were sent to the Paris Louvre. “I make sure to grow [their skills and expertise] and involve them [in our exhibition],” says André.

The nurturing of artistic and cultural talents has been a cornerstone of the UAE since it was established by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in 1971. According to Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi—the UAE’s first cultural hub and widely considered the precursor to the Louvre Abu Dhabi—some Emirati artists went to Cairo to study fine art in the 1970s, mainly due to an education ministry scholarship system that made the Egyptian capital a popular choice. Starting from the 1980s, artists went to places such as the UK, the US, Russia and Ethiopia to study fine art. When they returned to the UAE, they set up art institutions such as the Emirates Fine Arts Society and Cultural Foundation to expand the local art industry and artistic education.

Things began to expand almost exponentially in 2004, when Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism decided to develop Saadiyat Island just off the coast of the emirate into Saadiyat Cultural District, as part of a larger plan to diversify the emirate’s oil-dependent economy. Development is continuous, but, by completion, the area is to encompass the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, TeamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, Berklee Abu Dhabi, Manarat Al Saadiyat, Zayed National Museum and Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi.

The Louvre Abu Dhabi was the first to open, in 2017. At the time of writing in late October, TeamLab announced that it expects to open before the end of 2024; the Guggenheim in 2025.

The Louvre Abu Dhabi is already seeing results as one of the cultural landmarks of the world. Last year, 1.2 million people visited—a significant contribution to the 24 million visitors to Abu Dhabi. “Seventy-two per cent were from [other parts of] the world, and the remaining 28 per cent were residents in the emirates,” says Rabaté. The figure doesn’t compare to the 8.9 million visitors to the Louvre in Paris last year, but that may change with the museum’s upcoming ambitious global programme.

After the African art in January, there will be a show inspired by Asian trade routes when we spoke, Rabaté was identifying partners in Hong Kong or mainland China—before a Picasso show and then one focused on the art of the Mamluk, the slave warriors of medieval Islam. Previous shows have included Islamic art, Bollywood films, and French, Persian and Arabic fables.

“By showcasing such a variety of topics, we engage different audiences and foster a deeper understanding of the connections that unite us, aligning seamlessly with our overall mission to promote dialogue and mutual respect among cultures,” says André.

Will this stay the same after 2047, when the right to use the Louvre name expires? Rabaté admits the name does help to attract visitors; but while the team says it’s still too early to predict what might happen in two decades’ time, there’s good reason to believe that if the standards remain this high, the museum won’t need to rely on a fancy name to define its work and identity.

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