DUBAI: The UAE’s Louvre Abu Dhabi is set to open its third season with international exhibition “Abstraction and Calligraphy – Towards a Universal Language,” scheduled to take place from Feb. 17 to June 12.
The show, sponsored by the German luxury label Montblanc, will explore how 20th century artists established a new visual language by merging text and image, inspired by the earliest forms of mark-making and, particularly, calligraphy.
To celebrate this practice, the exhibition will feature two well-established contemporary artists: eL Seed from Tunisia and Sanki King from Pakistan.
“Abstraction and Calligraphy – Towards a Universal Language” will also bring together 101 masterworks from 16 partner institution collections, alongside seven works from Louvre Abu Dhabi’s permanent collection, and two monumental artworks by contemporary artists.
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By highlighting the rich cultural exchange taking place during the 20th century, visitors will get the chance to discover how the abstract movements were inspired by a plethora of signs and symbols, philosophies, and artistic techniques from cultures and societies far from European and American capitals.
Artists including Paul Klee, André Masson, Vassily Kandinsky, Cy Twombly, Lee Krasner, and Jackson Pollock sought a new universal language that enabled them to express their emotions in response to a rapidly changing society, breaking away from figurative conventions. The show will also focus on how these same influences informed the practices of artists from Middle East – from Dia Azzawi and Anwar Jalal Shemza, to Ghada Amer, Shirazeh Houshiary, and Mona Hatoum.
In keeping with the third season’s theme of exchanges between East and West, this exhibition marks the second collaboration with the French library Centre Pompidou.
Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi, Mohamed Khalifa Al-Mubarak, said in a released statement: “It is with pride and great excitement that we welcome the opening of the first Louvre Abu Dhabi international exhibition of 2021, especially as masterworks from so many illustrious lending partners will be on show here at Louvre Abu Dhabi, and in the region, for the very first time.”
