Avant-garde greats to be featured at Louvre Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi: The Louvre Abu Dhabi’s upcoming exhibition, 'Rendezvous in Paris: Picasso, Chagall, Modigliani & Co.(1900-1939)', will include more than 80 works by avant-garde greats including Pablo Picasso, Amedeo Modigliani, Marc Chagall, Juan Gris, Chaïm Soutine, Constantin Brancusi and Tamara de Lempicka.

Running from September 18-December 7, the exhibition will trace the creative output of emigrant artists living and working in Paris throughout the first half of the 20th century. The first exhibition in the Louvre Abu Dhabi’s new season, ‘Changing Societies’, Rendezvous in Paris will be held in partnership with Paris’ Centre Pompidou and organised with Agence France-Muséums.

Through paintings, sculptures and photographs by some 50 avant-garde artists, the exhibition will explore the Paris of the ‘Roaring Twenties’.

Paris’ dynamism and cosmopolitan nature made it an attractive, Bohemian hub for artists from across Europe, many of whom left their home countries in the post-World War I years in search of a place where they could express themselves creatively. Gathering in cafés, salons, studios and galleries, this artistic community transformed the ‘City of Lights’ into the creative heart of Europe, with their experimentation with radical expressions of colour and form producing some of the most iconic artworks in history.

Manuel Rabaté, Director of the Louvre Abu Dhabi expressed his confidence in the newly announced exhibition, adding that it is "a great start to our ambitious new 2019-20 season."

"For the first time ever in Abu Dhabi, residents and visitors will be able to see works by Picasso, Chagall, Modigliani, Delaunay, Lipchitz and other masters in a show encompassing the key movements of 20th century Modern art. This gathering of the widest ever range of classical Modernists’ works in the UAE reflects our commitment to bringing art from all over the world to our diverse audience," he said.

Dr Souraya Noujaim, Scientific, Curatorial and Collections Management Director at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, added, "From Cubism and Fauvism to Russian Avant-Garde and other genres, this exhibition will highlight the incredible contributions to Modern art by émigré artists in Paris. Encapsulating the foundation of the Louvre Abu Dhabi as a universal museum, Rendezvous in Paris brings together cross-cultural artworks, showcasing one of the key aspects of our mission."