Abu Dhabi: Louvre Abu Dhabi’s globally acclaimed Highway Gallery returns for its second edition this spring. From 7 April, ten new artworks from Louvre Abu Dhabi’s collection, reproduced as giant 3D sculptures or 10-metre high billboards, will appear alongside the E11 Sheikh Zayed Road from Dubai to Abu Dhabi.
As drivers tune into one of the partner radio stations and approach the display, they will automatically hear a 30-second story about each artwork as part of a collaboration with Abu Dhabi Media via Radio 1 FM (100.5FM), Classic FM (91.6 FM) and Emarat FM (95.8 FM). The campaign offers visitors a comprehensive experience of discovering art, beginning on the road on their way to the museum, and continuing inside Louvre Abu Dhabi via a dedicated tour around the Highway Gallery in the museum’s multimedia guide, featuring video interviews with seven of the participating influencers.
The 2019 edition of the project also features several new elements. Three of the ten masterpieces will, for the first time, be reproduced as three-dimensional sculptures. In addition, a select group of renowned personalities that represent the multicultural voices of the UAE have recorded the script for each artwork. They include entrepreneur Anas Bukhash, Fatima Al Kaabi, the UAE’s youngest inventor, chef Khaled Alsaadi, TV host Sherif Fayed, writer and producer Yasser Hareb, Zahra Lari, the first figure skater from the UAE to compete internationally, as well as Lowi Sahi, a UAE-based YouTuber. They will be joined by journalists and presenters Andrew Hosie (Classic FM), Bedoor Al Marzooqi, Mazyoon Al Hamiri and Rashid Ateeq (Emarat FM), Chiara Glorioso (Radio 1) and Rose Balston (BBC).
Reflecting Louvre Abu Dhabi’s universal narrative, Highway Gallery 2.0 will include works from different moments of history and a variety of cultures, including ancient masterpieces such a vase from circa 5500 BCE, found on the UAE island of Marawah; a 4,000-year-old statuette of an ancient Bactrian Princess; as well as a 11th or 12th century statue from China representing Guanyin, a divinity of compassion. Other historic artefacts include a 15th century Islamic helmet, a 17th-century Hindu manuscript depicting a huntress, and a Japanese suit of armour from the early 18th century.
The 19th century is represented with James Abbott McNeill Whistler’s Arrangement in Grey and Black N˚1 (1871), Édouard Manet’s The Bohemian (1867) and Vincent Van Gogh’s The Dance Hall in Arles (1888), alongside a surrealist work by 20th century painter Joan Miró.
Commenting on the inauguration of Highway Gallery 2.0, His Excellency Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, said: “The Highway Gallery is a flagship project for both the UAE and the international museum landscape, being the first initiative of its kind. Last year’s launch was hugely successful and reaffirmed Louvre Abu Dhabi’s position as a global cultural innovator. Now it returns, to once again offer a pioneering way to engage residents and visitors alike with the museum’s collection, outside of its walls. The Highway Gallery is a prime example of our efforts to make art and culture an integral part of everyday life in the UAE, further enriching the lives of those who reside, work, and visit here. As the UAE celebrates the Year of Tolerance in 2019, we see the Highway Gallery as an extension of Louvre Abu Dhabi’s physical galleries, bringing its universal collection of works from different geographies and cultures, and its celebration of humanity, to the widest possible audience.”
Manuel Rabaté, Director of Louvre Abu Dhabi added: “The vision of Highway Gallery was always to take Louvre Abu Dhabi’s art works to our public in their every day lives. With the Highway Gallery 2.0, our collection is brought to life by prominent voices from the UAE telling you the history of these artworks and their hidden stories. I encourage people to visit the museum to see these art works in person, to experience our world-class architecture or our diverse programme of exhibitions, family weekends and Ramadan and summer initiatives, offering something for everyone.”
The museum will include a Highway Gallery tour in its multimedia guide, featuring video interviews with the influencers participating in the campaign. The tour will be available in English, Arabic and French.
Visitors can rent the guides at the museum during their visits, or they can download the tour onto their own devices through the Louvre Abu Dhabi App (available in the App Store and on Google Play).
SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS
Follow Louvre Abu Dhabi on social media: Facebook (Louvre Abu Dhabi), Twitter (@LouvreAbuDhabi) and Instagram (@LouvreAbuDhabi) #LouvreAbuDhabi
VISITOR INFORMATION
Louvre Abu Dhabi hours are: Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, 10 am–8 pm; Thursday and Friday, 10 am–10 pm. The museum is closed on Mondays.
Last entries and ticket purchases end 30 minutes prior to closing. Special visitor hours will be in effect during some holidays and Ramadan.
General admission tickets are 63 AED (including VAT). Reduced access tickets are 31.5 AED (including VAT) for visitors aged 13-22, UAE education professionals, and members of the military.
Admission is free for members of the museum’s loyalty programme, children under the age of 13, ICOM or ICOMOS members, journalists and visitors with special needs and their companions.
ABOUT LOUVRE ABU DHABI
Created by an exceptional agreement between the governments of Abu Dhabi and France, Louvre Abu Dhabi was designed by Jean Nouvel and opened on Saadiyat Island in November 2017. The museum is inspired by traditional Islamic architecture and its monumental dome creates a rain of light effect and a unique social space that brings people together.
Louvre Abu Dhabi celebrates the universal creativity of mankind and invites audiences to see humanity in a new light. Through its innovative curatorial approach, the museum focuses on building understanding across cultures: through stories of human creativity that transcend civilisations, geographies and times.
The museum’s growing collection is unparalleled in the region and spans thousands of years of human history, including prehistoric tools, artefacts, religious texts, iconic paintings and contemporary artworks. The permanent collection is supplemented by rotating loans from 13 French partner institutions, regional and international museums.
Louvre Abu Dhabi is a testing ground for new ideas in a globalised world and champions new generations of cultural leaders. Its international exhibitions, programming and Children’s Museum are inclusive platforms that connect communities and offer enjoyment for all.
In 2019—the declared Year of Tolerance in the United Arab Emirates—Louvre Abu Dhabi will continue to be a hub for all cultures and a symbol of openness, hope, tolerance and inclusivity in the Arab world.
ABOUT MUSÉE DU LOUVRE
The Louvre in Paris opened in 1793, during the French Revolution, and from the very beginning was intended to provide inspiration for contemporary art. Courbet, Picasso, Dalí and so many others came to its hallowed halls to admire the old masters, copy them, immerse themselves in masterpieces and improve and fuel their own art. As an ancient royal residence, the Louvre is inextricably linked to eight centuries of French history. As a universal museum, its collections, among the best in the world, span many millennia and miles, from the Americas to Asia. Over 38,000 artworks are grouped into eight curatorial departments, including universally-admired works such as the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Venus de Milo. With 10.2 million guests in 2018, the Louvre is the most visited museum in the world.
ABOUT AGENCE FRANCE-MUSÉUMS
Created in 2007 following the intergovernmental agreement between Abu Dhabi and France, Agence France-Muséums has been for 10 years a key link between France and the UAE in the accomplishment of the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
By gathering for the first time the collections and the expertise of the French cultural institutions involved, AFM has provided since its creation assistance and expertise to the authorities of the United Arab Emirates in the following areas: definition of the scientific and cultural programme, assistance in project management for architecture including museography, signage and multimedia projects, coordination of the loans from French collections and organization of temporary exhibitions, guidance with the creation of a permanent collection, and support with the museum’s policy on visitors.
AFM now continues its missions for Louvre Abu Dhabi after its opening with the training of the museum’s professionals, the coordination of loans from French museums for 10 years and the organisation of temporary exhibitions for 15 years.
Agence France-Muséums brings together the Louvre Abu Dhabi partner institutions: Musée du Louvre, Centre Pompidou, Musées d’Orsay et de l’Orangerie, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac, Réunion des Musées Nationaux et du Grand Palais (RMN-GP), Château de Versailles, Musée national des arts asiatiques-Guimet, Musée de Cluny – Musée national du Moyen-Âge, École du Louvre, Musée Rodin, Domaine National de Chambord, Musée des Arts Décoratifs (MAD), Cité de la Céramique – Sèvres & Limoges, Musée d’Archéologie nationale – Saint-Germain en Laye, Château de Fontainebleau, and OPPIC (Opérateur du patrimoine et des projets immobiliers de la culture).
ABOUT SAADIYAT CULTURAL DISTRICT
Saadiyat Cultural District on Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, is devoted to culture and the arts. An ambitious cultural undertaking for the 21st century, it will be a nucleus for global culture, attracting local, regional and international guests with unique exhibitions, permanent collections, productions and performances. Its groundbreaking buildings will form a historical statement of the finest 21st century architecture; Zayed National Museum, Louvre Abu Dhabi and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. These museums will complement and collaborate with local and regional arts and cultural institutions including universities and research centres.
ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE AND TOURISM – ABU DHABI
The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi conserves and promotes the heritage and culture of Abu Dhabi emirate and leverages them in the development of a world-class, sustainable destination of distinction that enriches the lives of visitors and residents alike. The Department manages the emirate’s tourism sector and markets the destination internationally through a wide range of activities aimed at attracting visitors and investment. Its policies, plans and programmes relate to the preservation of heritage and culture, including protecting archaeological and historical sites and to developing museums, including the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Zayed National Museum and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. The Department of Culture and Tourism supports intellectual and artistic activities and cultural events to nurture a rich cultural environment and honour the emirate’s heritage. A key role played by the Department is to create synergy in the destination’s development through close co-ordination with its wide-ranging stakeholder base.
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