Louvre Abu Dhabi electrifies with exhibition on Post-Impressionism

Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer

After its inauguration by Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of Louvre Abu Dhabi, the museum’s latest exhibition, ‘Post-Impressionism: Beyond Appearances’, opened to the public on October 16. To run till February 9, 2025, it has been organised by Louvre Abu Dhabi in partnership with Musée d’Orsay and France Muséums. It features masterpieces by visionary artists including Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Cézanne, Georges Seurat, Henri-Edmond Cross, Emile Bernard, Paul Sérusier and Paul Gauguin et Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Post-Impressionism emphasised abstract qualities or symbolic content. A term coined in 1910, it forged connections that went beyond European artists and included painters like Georges Hanna Sabbagh, who was born in Egypt and was of Syrian and Lebanese descent.

Curated by Jean-Rémi Touzet, Curator of Painting at Musée d’Orsay and Jérôme Farigoule, Chief Curator at Louvre Abu Dhabi, with the support of Aisha Alahmadi, Curatorial Assistant at Louvre Abu Dhabi, Estelle Bégué and Fanny Matz, Scientific Documentalists for Paintings at Musée d’Orsay, the displays consist of around 100 artworks including paintings, works on paper and textile from nine museums and cultural institutions. The presentation is sponsored by Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) and supported by L’Officiel Arabia as media partner. Manuel Rabaté, Director of Louvre Abu Dhabi, said: “The exhibition, whose colourful scenography echoes the artists’ palettes, allows visitors to discover and rediscover a period whose key words are innovation and a quest for openness — qualities that resonate with the blossoming artistic sector in this region.”

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Dr. Guilhem André, Scientific, Curatorial and Collection Management Director, said: “From the refined Neo-Impressionist compositions of Henri-Edmond Cross to the structured rhythms of Paul Cézanne, the technical brilliance of Paul Gauguin, the expressive brushwork of Vincent Van Gogh and the vibrant palette of Maurice Denis … each artist presents a distinct approach to the movement …” Exhibition curators Jean-Rémi Touzet and Jérôme Farigoule, while noting “the delicate stippling of Georges Seurat, the dazzling flat tints of Paul Gauguin and the energetic impastos of Vincent van Gogh,” said that “the exhibition shows how, in opposition to academicism and drawing on the Impressionist model, a heterogeneous constellation of artists reinvented the conception of painting and art as a whole, culminating at the start of the 20th century in the assertion of abstract art, beyond appearances.”

 A bucolic scene from the show.

Sylvain Amic, President of the Musée d’Orsay and Musée de l’Orangerie – Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, said that “this artistic project marks a pivotal moment in the cultural exchange not only for the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf region, but also on a global scale.” Highlights of the paintings include Bedroom in Arles (1889) and The Siesta (between 1889 and 1890) by Vincent Van Gogh; The Hair (circa 1892) and The Evening Air by Henri-Edmond Cross (circa 1893); Portrait of Madam Cézanne (1885 and 1890) and Still Life with Onions (circa 1896 – 1898) by Paul Cézanne; Breton Women with Umbrellas (1892) by Emile Bernard; and The Talisman, The Aven River at the Bois d’Amour (1888) by Paul Sérusier. Two paintings by Georges Hanna Sabbagh are also on display: The Artist and His Family at the Church of La Clarté, 1920 (loan from Centre Pompidou) and The Family: The Sabbaghs in Paris, 1921 (loan from Musée de Grenoble).

The scenography is divided into nine sections: Neo-Impressionist Path; Cézanne Path; Gauguin and Pont-Aven Path; Van Gogh Path; Nabis Path; Toulouse-Lautrec Path; Odilon Redon Path; the Prints; and the New Ways, from Post-Impressionism to the avant-garde of the 20th Century. Through four interactive multimedia devices, visitors get the opportunity to interact with video projections and narratives on the artists - and even experiment with the creation of their own artworks. Lenders to the exhibition include Musée d’Orsay, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art, Musée de Grenoble, Le Signe, centre national des arts graphiques, Musée Toulouse-Lautrec, Petit Palais, musée des Beaux-arts de la Ville de Paris, Musée national d’art moderne – Centre Georges Pompidou and Louvre Abu Dhabi.

A cultural and educational programme accompanies the show, which includes a public talk with the exhibition’s curators (October 15), with its podcast being available on Louvre Abu Dhabi’s website and mobile application; Secret Dinners, a culinary experience inspired by a secret ingredient that exists in one of the Post-Impressionism exhibition artworks (December 6, 7), featuring music, art and food inspired by the Post-Impressionism school; film screening of Loving Vincent that tells the story of a young man who comes to the last hometown of painter Vincent van Gogh and ends up investigating his final days there; a specialised interactive Young Visitors’ Guide for students and children to explore the exhibition through questions, clues and fun facts; family weekend activations at the end of each month; and Post-Impressionists’ sessions of the museum’s series programmes such as Drawing at the Museum and Book an Easel, in addition to guided tours for adults and children. The exhibition catalogue is available in Arabic, English and French at the museum’s boutique.

Paris-based Musée d’Orsay has the largest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art in the world. Cultural consulting and engineering agency France Muséums supports Louvre Abu Dhabi projects through loaning artworks, hosting exhibitions, training and management. The ADCB Group is a leading Emirati financial institution, based in Abu Dhabi. Louvre Abu Dhabi was designed by Jean Nouvel and opened on Saadiyat Island in 2017. Home to Louvre Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Cultural District on Saadiyat Island hosts one of the greatest concentrations of cultural institutions.