Celebrating some of the world’s best artworks created on paper, Louvre Abu Dhabi announced through its official Twitter account the details of its upcoming exhibition ‘Stories of Paper,’ set to run from 20 April to 24 July, 2022.
The exhibition, organized in partnership with Musée du Louvre and Agence France-Muséums, will showcase works collected from 16 French and international art institutions and libraries, as well as pieces from private collections. These include art collections from Louvre Abu Dhabi, Musée du Louvre, and the Bibliotheque nationale de France (BnF), and works that have been curated from the Centre Pompidou, the Sharjah Art Foundation, and the Zayed National Museum, besides artworks by prominent contemporary Emirati and other Middle Eastern artists.
The exhibition aims to explore a wide range of artistic expressions using paper in order to stimulate curiosity and deepen visitors’ knowledge of this familiar material, but from new, innovative angles, in more than 100 arts and objects including books, manuscripts, drawings, a model of a house, 13 contemporary artworks, as well as a collection of paper art installations.
‘Stories of Paper’ is curated by Xavier Salmon, General Heritage Curator and Director at the Department of Prints and Drawings, and Victor Hundsbuckler, Curator at the Department of Prints and Drawings, Musée du Louvre, supported by Souraya Noujaim, Scientific, Curatorial & Collections Management Director at Louvre Abu Dhabi.
Speaking about the exhibition, Manuel Rabaté, Director of Louvre Abu Dhabi, explained the various aspects of paper along with its history. “The history of paper, an invention that transcended geographical boundaries in its journey from the East to the West and transforming cultures and societies in the process, exemplifies the stories of intellectual exchange and cultural interaction that the museum is committed to examine.”
Curator Salmon says that the exhibition seeks to explain why paper, a common yet precious commodity, was quickly adopted and sought after by cultures from around the world. He adds, “If there is one material that is a common good for the human race, it is most certainly paper.”
The exhibition will take visitors on an immersive journey into the history of paper spread across 12 sections which highlight the essential qualities and diverse use of paper over the centuries.
