From France, on loan: Louvre Abu Dhabi gets da Vinci, Monet, Matisse

Leonardo da Vinci’s Portrait of an Unknown Woman (circa 1495), also known as La Belle Ferronnière.

Louvre Abu Dhabi has announced approximately 300 loans to come from major French institutions for its opening year, which will complement the museum’s growing collection and universal narrative.

The loans include Leonardo da Vinci’s Portrait of an Unknown Woman (circa 1495), also known as La Belle Ferronnière, which is being loaned by the Musée du Louvre, Edouard Manet’s The Fife Player (1866), Claude Monet’s The Saint-Lazare Station (1877) to be loaned by Musée d’Orsay et de l’Orangerie, a rare salt cellar in ivory from the Benin Kingdom, from Musée du quai Branly and Henri Matisse’s Still Life with Magnolia (1941) from Centre Pompidou.

Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), the organisation with the mandate for Louvre Abu Dhabi said: “These outstanding loans from our French partners represent the collaboration and exchange, symbolic of Louvre Abu Dhabi and its progress to date.

"This will be the first time many of these works will travel to Abu Dhabi or even the Middle East, and are a rare opportunity to see important art from French museums in dialogue with the Louvre Abu Dhabi’s collection. Ultimately, we hope to offer visitors a unique experience from a new perspective that underlines the universal spirit of the entire project.”

The number of works loaned by French institutions will decrease over a 10-year period as Louvre Abu Dhabi continues to build up its collection.

The works will be on show from three months to two years, depending largely on the narrative, the conservation and the preservation requirements of each piece.

Louvre Abu Dhabi will follow the highest international standards and requirements for transport, presentation and conservation of artworks.

The announcement of loans from French institutions follows the success of two major exhibitions, Birth of a Museum in 2013 in Abu Dhabi and Naissance d’un musée in Paris (2 May – 28 July 2014) at Musée du Louvre, showcasing major pieces from Louvre Abu Dhabi’s permanent collection.

Additional public programmes prior to the museum’s opening have included exhibitions, performances and panel discussions, and the fourth edition of the Louvre Abu Dhabi: Talking Art Series, will begin in October.

The construction of the museum is progressing rapidly, with its dome almost complete and placed into position on the site.

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