LOUVRE ABU DHABI: ONE AMAZING EXPERIENCE!

 

Located in the Saadiyat Island Cultural District, Louvre Abu Dhabi is an architectural delight with a low-slung dome covering a large part of the museum complex. Consisting of layers of geometric templates of aluminium stars repeated in different sizes and angles, the intricate design of the dome appears like interwoven palm fronds, with rays of sunlight piercing through its ‘foliage’.

Cover image: Inscribed here is a quote by Jalal Al-Din Rumi, a Persian philosopher, theologian, poet and teacher. His poetry has influenced not only Persian literature, but also the literary traditions of the Ottoman Turkish, Chagatai, Urdu and Pashto languages / Pic: Byron Dias

Once inside the museum, we began to marvel at carefully acquired objects and artefacts of historic, cultural and sociological interest from around the globe as well as paintings and sculptures by celebrated artists. From the sarcophagus of Princess Henuttawy and the sacred texts of the Holy Quran and the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment, to the statute of the dancing Shiva, the famous painting, Whistler’s Mother and a pair of folding screens showing the arrival of the Portuguese merchants in Japan, Louvre Abu Dhabi was one amazing experience.

Date of visit: 16 February, 2018

And thanks, Byron! You made this possible.

Here are some photographs...

Sarcophagus of Princess Henuttawy / Egypt

Left2Right:

a] Milestone on the road to Mecca / Saudi Arabia, Hail

b] Reliquary in the form of a stupa, and its contents / Pakistan, Gandhara, Swat Valley (?)

Octagonal Fountain and it's flooring / Syria, Damascus

Left: Buddha head, red sandstone / Gupta Empire, Northern India, Mathura

Right: Dancing Shiva, Hindu Divinity / India, Tamil Nadu

Left: Persian archer

Right: Fight between Creugas and Damoxenos /Antonio Canova

                                                    Left: Self-Portrait / Vincent van Gogh

Right: George Washington, First President of the United States / Gilbert Stuart

Left: Walking Man, on a Column / Auguste Rodin

Right: Marble relief of cuneiform text, one of the earliest forms of writing / Jenny Holzer

Among the many cities listed, I also found तिरूपति! / Pic: Byron Dias

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If you don't know history, then you don't know anything,

You are a leaf that doesn't know it is part of a tree.

- Michael Crichton