Exploring the ‘Asian’ in Post-Impressionism at the Louvre Abu Dhabi

four women in black dresses Burqa look up, head bowed Monalisa’s funeralArtist Yan Pei-Ming’s monumental installation at the Louvre Abu Dhabi. A European painting reinterpreted by a Chinese-born artist within the backdrop of the Middle East, it is a stunning study in contrasts – both an Instagrammable photo and a testament to the museum’s ambition to create a dialogue between cultures and broaden the art history canon. .

This is reflected in the museum’s acquisitions and exhibitions, including its latest, Post-Impressionism: Beyond AppearancesRunning alongside the delicate stippling of Neo-Impressionist painters Georges Seurat and Leo Gosson and the brilliant brush strokes of Paul Cézanne and Vincent van Gogh, you could be forgiven for thinking this is another Eurocentric curation of the period. But as you delve deeper into the gallery, a refreshing global perspective becomes apparent. In particular, what impact did Asian art have on artists?

Organized in collaboration with the Musée d’Orsay in Paris and the Museum of Art Consultancy France, the exhibition features more than 100 artworks, including paintings, works on paper and textile by leading figures of Post-Impressionism. The art movement, which began in France and developed between 1886 and 1905, saw artists move away from naturalistic depictions toward a more personal style that was a window into their minds.

Chief Curator Jérôme Farigoule with Paul Cézanne Mont Sainte-Victoire
Photo credit: Courtesy Department of Culture and Tourism-Abu Dhabi

global impact

Van Gogh’s Bedroom in Arles (1889) has never been a favourite. Until I see the painting, and co-curator Jean-Rémy Touzet says to me, “Don’t look at it with the rules of perspective in mind.” patron painting Instead, the Musée d’Orsay diverted my attention from the confusing scale of the oddly slanted blue walls (darkened over the years from their original lilac) and chrome yellow chairs and bed, to what the Dutch artist wanted to convey: complete relaxation. It is also an attempt to share a piece of his life with his family – ‘Look mom, here is my room with a red blanket’ painting.

vincent van gogh’s Bedroom in Arles
Photo credit: Courtesy Department of Culture and Tourism-Abu Dhabi

However, what is more interesting is that Asian influence can be seen in the work of this canonical European name. Touzet explains how van Gogh “suppressed the shadow, and painted it in flat colors like Japanese prints”. This is also where the exhibition deviates from many earlier Post-Impressionist curations. It contains works by two Japanese artists whose art is believed to have inspired the painter: Utagawa Hiroshige’s Plum Garden in Kamado (1857) and Sudden rain on Shin-Ohashi Bridge And Atec (1857), and Katsushika Hokusai’s Yoro Waterfall in Mino Province (1830-1834)

Throughout the show’s nine sections – divided to highlight the specific journeys of the Post-Impressionists – other Asian, Polynesian and Middle Eastern influences gradually come to the fore. Be it Paul Gauguin’s trip to Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands, where he depicted life as an untouched paradise in paintings. field area (1892), or the posters of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec such as Diwan Japonais (1892) which contains simple elements, a departure from more elaborate European traditions.

Paul Gauguin’s field area
Photo credit: Courtesy Department of Culture and Tourism-Abu Dhabi

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Diwan Japonais
Photo credit: Courtesy Department of Culture and Tourism-Abu Dhabi

At the end of the exhibition are two paintings by the Egyptian artist Georges Hanna Sabbagh, The artist and his family in La Clerte Church (1920) and Family: The Sabbaghs in Paris (1921). His work, with a contrasting color palette taken from his homeland, was strongly influenced by the Nabi movement, an offshoot of Post-Impressionism. As Jerome Farigoule, chief curator of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, explains: “He went to Paris [to École du Louvre]He was a pupil of Felix Walton and Paul Sérusier, and learned from the pictorial lessons of Paul Cézanne. He was a bridge between East and West and a great starting point for the emerging art in this part of the world.

Georges Hanna Sabbagh’s Family: The Sabbaghs in Paris
Photo credit: Courtesy Department of Culture and Tourism-Abu Dhabi

$27 billion game plan

Promoting local talent has been a mainstay of the UAE since its founding in 1971 by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The Emirati artist went to Cairo to study art in the 1970s and from the 80s, he started traveling to distant countries. Like UK, US and Russia. Back home, he established institutions such as the Cultural Foundation to develop the local art scene.

Louvre Abu Dhabi fits into this, being an early initiative of convergence between the UAE and the rest of the world in this region. It opened in 2017, a decade after Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism decided to develop Saadiyat Island, off the coast of the capital city, into the Saadiyat Cultural District as part of a plan to diversify the emirate’s economy. After a little more than. Establish the city as a major cultural destination.

Louvre Abu Dhabi Photo credit: Courtesy Department of Culture and Tourism-Abu Dhabi

And now, as its neighbour, Saudi Arabia, has signed agreements with countries like the UK to share cultural and creative expertise, and promoted the heritage of the Al-Ula region with extensive museums, the UAE is among its 27 Reaching the final stage of billion dollars. Cultural and tourism sports plan. Over the next few months and years, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Zayed National Museum, TeamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, Manarat Al Saadiyat Art Gallery and Berkley Abu Dhabi will open on the island.

“It is exciting to see such momentum building with new outposts of Western museums in West Asia, giving locals as well as people in the region access to institutions they might not otherwise have. Moreover, given the growing global conflict, it is important to have these cultural connections – given the lack of a shared narrative when it comes to media and entertainment,” says journalist and art lover Gayatri Rangachari Shah. “These institutions serve as important resources for bringing people together and promoting better understanding of each other.”

The Guggenheim – with its asymmetric cluster of galleries of varying heights and sizes, designed by architect Frank Gehry (incidentally, the largest of the Manhattan museum’s four 42,000-square-meter outposts) – across from the sun-drenched rooftop of the Louvre Abu Dhabi is visible, across a channel of water. The structure, which is reminiscent of a large spider immersed in sunlight, will showcase art from the 1960s with a special focus on the Gulf and West Asia, North Africa and South Asia.

Guggenheim | Photo Courtesy: Surya Prafulla Kumar

Once completed, the museum and gallery will be within a short bike or car ride of each other, helping to increase footfall. “Last year, 1.2 million people visited the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the highest ever,” says museum director Manuel Rabate. “We are already at this figure, so we will exceed it by the end of 2024.” Their upcoming roster of global programming – kings and queens of africa In January 2025; A show inspired by Asian trade routes; an exhibition focusing on the art of the Mamluks, the slave warriors of medieval Islam; And the potential discovery of the work of Arab artists who settled in Paris and created a new tradition of art – will ensure that the number continues to grow. “We are the first universal museum in the Arab world. By showcasing a variety of topics, we hope to engage diverse audiences and rebalance global narratives. We’re trying to bring everyone to the table,” Rabatey concluded.

Post-Impressionism: Beyond Appearance is running at Louvre Abu Dhabi until February 9, 2025.

The author was in Abu Dhabi on invitation.