From the sea © Louvre Abu Dhabi - Photo: Roland Halbe

From September 18 to December 7, 2019, visitors to Louvre Abu Dhabi will take a journey through time to discover the Parisian art scene of the first half of the 20th century. The Rendez-vous à Paris: Picasso, Chagall, Modigliani & Cie (1900-1939) exhibition will bring together nearly 85 masterpieces by the greatest figures of the avant-garde and will explore the work of around forty foreign artists then established in the French capital.

Amadeo_Modigliani - Portrait Josette Hayden © Department of photographic documentation of the MNAM - Center Pompidou, MNAM-CCI Dist. NMR-GP

The exhibition offers to discover the Paris of the Roaring Twenties through paintings, sculptures and photographs by some 40 avant-garde artists, Juan Gris, Chaïm Soutine, Constantin Brancusi, Tamara de Lempicka, who by experimenting with new expressions radical formal and chromatic, produced some of the most iconic works in the history of art. The dynamism and cosmopolitanism of the capital then made it the center of a unique artistic profusion where many artists from all over Europe settled, many of them having left their countries of origin after the First War. world in the hope of finding a more favorable place for creation. This community which gathered in cafes, salons, workshops and galleries contributed to making the “City of Light” the beating heart of European artistic creation.

Paris of 20^e century

Manuel Rabaté, director of the Louvre Abu Dhabi underlines the parallels that can be drawn between 20th century Paris and the museum's mission:  “For the first time, local audiences and international visitors will be able to see works by Picasso, Chagall, Modigliani, Delaunay, Lipchitz and other great masters in an exhibition covering the key movements of modern art in the 20th century. We will thus bring together the widest choice of modern works ever presented in the United Arab Emirates, in accordance with our desire to present art from around the world to our different audiences. "

Dr. Souraya Noujaim, Scientific Director, in charge of conservation and collections at the Louvre Abu Dhabi adds: “From Cubism and Fauvism to the Russian avant-garde, among others, the exhibition will highlight the extraordinary contributions to modern art of artists who emigrated to Paris. This exhibition, which takes into account the universal dimension of Louvre Abu Dhabi, brings together transcultural works and is fully in line with one of our key missions. "

Intergovernmental agreement

Born of an intergovernmental agreement between Abu Dhabi and France, the Louvre Abu Dhabi is a universal museum which allows visitors to discover art - and humanity - in a new light.

Amadeo de Souza Cardoso - Cavaleiros - 1913 - © Philippe Migeat / Center Pompidou

Works signed by renowned artists are exhibited there, offering amazing encounters that reveal universal themes and common influences between civilizations around the world. In a magnificent structure sheltered by a dome designed by the architect Jean Nouvel and located in the cultural district of Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island, the Louvre Abu Dhabi celebrated its opening to the public in November 2017.

During its first decade, hundreds of works from its own growing collection will be exhibited, alongside an equal number of masterpieces on loan from the Louvre museum and 12 other French partner museums of international renown. The Louvre Abu Dhabi also offers visitors a minimum of four new exhibitions per year, ongoing programs of live shows and educational workshops, a children's museum, restaurants, and a boutique.

Virtues of cosmopolitanism

The curator of the exhibition "Rendez-vous à Paris" is provided by Christian Briend, chief curator, head of modern art collections, National Museum of Modern Art, Center Pompidou, assisted by Anna Hiddleston-Galloni, assistant to conservation, modern art collections, National Museum of Modern Art, Center Pompidou.

“I am very happy to contribute to Abu Dhabi to such an ambitious modern art exhibition bringing together many masterpieces from famous and lesser known artists. What is particularly close to my heart in this project is to show that the developments of modern art in what was then considered the most important artistic center of the time owed a lot to the contribution of foreigners, to start by Picasso, who dominates XNUMXth century art. It is therefore cosmopolitanism and its virtues that are at issue here ” explains Christian Briend.

Grand Vestibule © Louvre Abu Dhabi - Photo: Marc Domage

Visitors will also be able to experience the evolution and dynamism of the artistic scene of the time through several interactive mediation devices: one of them will highlight the journey of artists from their countries of origin to Paris. ; another will offer an immersive experience in the Brancusi workshop; still others will focus on colors or music. To do this, the exhibition brings together masterpieces from the collection of the Center Pompidou, Paris, including Femme assis (1910) by Pablo Picasso; To Russia, Donkeys and Others (1911) by Marc Chagall; Portrait of Dédie (1918) by Amedeo Modigliani; Young Girl in the Green Dress (1927) by Tamara de Lempicka.

Juan Gris Le Tourangeau © Jean-François Tomasian - Center Pompidou, MNAM-CCI Dist. NMR-GP

Living machines

Before the official opening of the exhibition, visitors will get a taste of the event with a conference by the curator, Christian Briend, the September 17st 2019. Du 18 21 in September, they will meet random “living machines” from the museum's rooms and admire the work of choreographer Elizabeth Streb and her STREB Extreme Action Troupe combining acrobatics, circus arts and contemporary dance in a spectacular performance on giant machines.

During a weekend for families, 27-28 September, workshops will be organized inspired by the works on display; they will allow you to experiment in a fun and attractive way the processes of abstract creation. This program will include film projections on a proposal by artist Hind Mezaina.

The cultural program will conclude with an "electro night", the November 21, 2019, from 21 p.m. to 1 a.m. On the turntables, internationally renowned DJs residing in the United Arab Emirates accompanied by lights and projections inspired by cubism to illuminate the facades and the emblematic dome of the museum. A DJ set by Amon Tobin / Two Fingers, Molecule Live and DJs from Boogie Box, Hassan Alwan and Tristan Girault, share an open-air scene, under the dome of the Louvre Abu Dhabi.

David Raynal

Useful information

Access to the exhibition is included in the museum entry ticket. Entrance is free for children under 13. Guided tours of the exhibition and a multimedia guide will be available in Arabic, French and English for visitors to the Louvre Abu Dhabi. A catalog reproducing all of the works on display and the biographies of each of the artists will accompany this exhibition.

For more information on the exhibition or ticketing, visit the site: www.louvreabudhabi.ae