5 days ago
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- The National
Kandinsky art, Roman jewels and a 5,000-year-old statue: Louvre Abu Dhabi's latest loans and acquisitions
Every summer, changes take place at Louvre Abu Dhabi without fanfare.
There are no big banners or special announcements, yet the permanent galleries undergo a subtle shift. New loans and acquisitions are peppered throughout – not to disrupt the museum's focus, but to expand and enrich its universal narrative.
While there are changes in the museum's galleries year-round, a lion's share of shuffling takes place now, during the summer, says Guilhem Andre, director of scientific, curatorial and collections management. 'We refresh our new loans from partnering institutions and rotate our collections as well,' he adds.
This year, the additions range from a delicate Roman cameo and a Gabonese reliquary figure to artworks by Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky, Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti and Catalan artist Antoni Tapies. Placed among the museum's existing displays, they invite new dichotomies and connections.
Among these is a Menhir statue, dating to 3,000 BCE. It stands small beside the towering image of Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II (which is about 11 metres tall), but equally intriguing. The sandstone figure was carved more than 5,000 years ago in what is now southern France.
The statue has a triangular face, arms etched flat across the body and legs marked by two straight lines. A belt with chevron patterns wraps the waist. Its features are minimal, but enough to suggest the outline of a person, most likely someone of importance.
Similar to its neighbouring pharaoh, it may once have stood as a marker of identity or power, though its form is pared down, and is more symbolic than representative. "This is interesting because this is again a man of power that is represented here,' Andre says. 'So again, this is putting civilisations in dialogue.' The menhir is on loan from the National Archaeological Museum in Saint-Germain-en-Laye.
A Roman Cameo is a highlight acquisition by Louvre Abu Dhabi. Carved in layered stone no bigger than a palm, it shows a young man in a tunic and toga. He is thought to be Agrippa Postumus, the grandson and adopted heir of Emperor Augustus, founder of the Roman Empire. Originally a sign of imperial loyalty, it was remounted in 18th-century Britain in a gold setting. While this piece could have been worn on the body, generally, they were more frequently inlaid into furniture.
Another notable addition is Una Bulaquena (1895) by Juan Luna, on loan from the National Museum of the Philippines. The painting is regarded as a Filipino national treasure. Its arrival at the Louvre Abu Dhabi marks the first time the work has left the country. Una Bulaquena is, which is one of Luna's most enigmatic works, depicts a young Filipina woman, poised and composed in traditional attire. In one hand she holds a handkerchief and in the other, an ivory fan.
Luna is perhaps best known for his epic paintings, which reframe moments from ancient history as allegories of colonial oppression. Una Bulaquena is a rare example of one of his softer, more introspective works.
