H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs – United Arab Emirates; H.E. Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and President of Louvre Abu Dhabi; and Hessa Alkhyeli, Publications Unit Head at Louvre Abu Dhabi. Together, they discuss the Louvre Abu Dhabi Birth of a Collection
A new publication traces Louvre Abu Dhabi’s collection growth, featuring 42 contributors and 240 works from around the world.
ARTCENTRON ART NEWS DESK
Louvre Abu Dhabi has published Birth of a Collection, an illustrated volume examining how its permanent collection has developed since the museum opened in 2017. Co-published with Italian art publisher Skira, the book brings together 240 objects and contributions from 42 curators, historians, and scholars.
Edited by Dr. Guilhem André, the museum’s Director of Scientific, Curatorial, and Collections Management, the publication offers a scholarly account of the institution’s collecting history. It also revisits a central question behind the museum’s creation: how can art from different civilizations tell a connected story of human creativity?
The question carries greater weight today than it did when the museum first opened. Louvre Abu Dhabi has expanded its holdings from approximately 600 works to more than 6,000. It has also become an increasingly active lender to museums and cultural institutions internationally.
Rather than documenting acquisitions alone, Birth of a Collection examines the historical relationships that give these objects meaning. Its approach reflects the museum’s ambition to present world art through cultural encounters, shared histories, and artistic exchange.
Louvre Abu Dhabi Birth of a Collection Examines the Museum’s Evolving Identity
The publication follows Birth of a Museum, released in 2013. That earlier volume introduced the institution’s founding collection and its ambition to establish the first universal museum in the Arab world. The new book documents what followed. Louvre Abu Dhabi opened on Saadiyat Island in November 2017. Its collection has since grown considerably in size and geographical range.
The museum’s development also marks a change in its relationship with international institutions. Initially, loans from French museums played an important role in shaping its galleries. Today, its own acquisitions account for a growing share of the displayed works.
According to reporting by The National in October 2026, museum-owned works represented 56.8% of the permanent-gallery displays in 2025. The publication also coincides with an increase in the museum’s international lending activity. This shift matters beyond the number of objects the institution holds. It gives Louvre Abu Dhabi greater scope to shape its own collection narrative and share its holdings with audiences elsewhere.
Four Historical Periods Connect Art Across Civilizations
Birth of a Collection organizes its material around four broad historical periods: the Ancient World, Medieval World, Early Modern World, and Modern and Contemporary World. The structure follows the museum’s wider curatorial philosophy. Instead of separating artistic traditions by nationality or geography, it places objects within a chronological account of human history.
The Ancient World section examines parallel civilizations and the ideas they shared. The Medieval World explores the relationship between faith, scholarship, and artistic production. The Early Modern World considers growing contact between societies. Trade, travel, and the movement of knowledge helped shape artistic practices across continents.
The final section turns to modern and contemporary art. It brings together artists such as Katsushika Hokusai, Pablo Picasso, and Wassily Kandinsky. Their work represents different responses to questions about representation, form, and modernity. This arrangement encourages readers to consider connections that conventional art-historical divisions sometimes overlook. It also reflects the museum’s interest in examining artistic exchange across cultural and geographical boundaries.
Ancient Chinese, Sumerian, and Islamic Works Reveal the Collection’s Range
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An exceptional pre-imperial Chinese antiquity bronze measuring 48.5 x 67 cm, the “Stoclet Dragon” is a monumental and nearly unique animal sculpture capturing a powerful winged dragon poised to leap. Image: • Louvre Abu Dhabi
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Among the 240 objects discussed in the book are works that illustrate the breadth of Louvre Abu Dhabi’s holdings. A bronze Winged Dragon, dated 475–221 BCE, represents ancient Chinese artistic traditions. Its sculptural form also reflects the cultural importance of mythical creatures in Chinese visual history.
The Male Praying Figure, dated approximately 2400–2300 BCE, offers a glimpse into religious practices in ancient Sumer. The standing figure depicts a worshipper and provides evidence of the devotional traditions of early Mesopotamian society. Another important object is the Monumental Lion, dated between 1100 and 1200. The museum identifies it as a significant example of Islamic art from the Mediterranean region. It may have functioned as an acoustic automaton, combining sculpture with mechanical ingenuity.
The book also features Folding Screens with Maps of Japan and the World, dating to around 1690. The screens reflect the circulation of geographical knowledge and the growing awareness of distant territories during the early modern period. These objects offer more than examples of artistic craftsmanship. Their materials, functions, and historical contexts reveal how societies expressed religious beliefs, political authority, and knowledge of the wider world.
Collecting Becomes Part of a Wider International Museum Network
Louvre Abu Dhabi’s expanding collection has strengthened its relationships with major cultural institutions. Its lending partners include the Musée du Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Musée du Quai Branly–Jacques Chirac, and Guimet–National Museum of Asian Arts in France. Other institutions include The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Museum of Modern Art in New York, as well as the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
Regional partnerships extend to Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi, Art Jameel in Dubai, and the National Museum of Oman. These relationships place the museum within a wider network of international exchanges. They also demonstrate how acquisitions can contribute to exhibitions and research beyond the institution that owns an artwork.
The development connects with Louvre Abu Dhabi’s original institutional philosophy. Its approach to collecting and curatorial interpretation places emphasis on provenance, historical significance, and connections between cultures. The museum’s presentation of African art offers another example of this approach. An earlier Artcentron report on Kings and Queens of Africa at Louvre Abu Dhabi examined how objects associated with African royal traditions reveal histories of political authority, craftsmanship, and cultural identity.
Arabic, English, and French Editions Broaden Access to Art Scholarship
The publication is available in Arabic, English, and French. Its three-language format reflects the museum’s commitment to publishing art-historical research for different audiences. The Arabic edition also contributes to the development of art publishing in the UAE. Scholarly publications in Arabic can help broaden access to research that often circulates primarily through English and European-language academic networks.
This publishing strategy gives the book significance beyond its role as a record of acquisitions. It creates another platform for documenting collections, interpreting artworks, and contributing to discussions about art history in the region.
Where to find Louvre Abu Dhabi’s Birth of a Collection
Edited by Guilhem André and co-published with Skira, Birth of a Collection is available in Arabic, English, and French. The museum’s official online collection provides further opportunities to explore the artworks and historical themes represented in its galleries.
The publication is available through the Louvre Abu Dhabi museum boutique. The book documents a significant stage in the institution’s development. More importantly, it offers an opportunity to examine how a museum builds meaning through the works it acquires, the histories it presents, and the relationships it establishes with other cultural institutions.
For Louvre Abu Dhabi, the next chapter will depend not simply on expanding its collection. Its continuing challenge is to interpret those holdings through rigorous research and meaningful connections across cultures.