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Exhibition-Dossiers
Showcased though a series of Exhibition-Dossiers, the Abu Dhabi Collection affirms the cultural vision of Abu Dhabi while enhancing and complementing other collections in the emirate’s museums and reflects a commitment to fostering pluralistic dialogues and promoting the exchange of knowledge in the arts.
The third Abu Dhabi Masterpieces Collection: Exhibition-Dossiers builds on the success of its predecessors. It celebrates two remarkable works from the Abu Dhabi Masterpieces Collection: The Dance by André Derain and Berthe Morisot and Her Daughter, Julie Manet by Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
The Dance is well renowned for its contribution to the history of twentieth-century art. Created in 1906, but not exhibited until 1950, the painting has become a focal point in discussions of modernism and the short-lived, yet influential Fauvist movement. Widely recognised as one of Derain’s most important works, it combines cross-cultural motifs and art-historical references to explore dance as a distinctive medium of expression.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s Berthe Morisot and Her Daughter, Julie Manet captures an intimate moment in the history of French painting and the genesis of Impressionism. The portrait celebrates the close personal and professional ties that existed between Renoir and his colleague, Berthe Morisot. It is both a tender vision of the relationship between mother and daughter and an acknowledgement of the rich artistic dialogue that develop between two artists over a twenty-year period. As such, it testifies to the collaborations and social ties that propelled the creation of innovative paintings in the nineteenth-century.
The exhibition will be on show from November 2025 to April 2026 at Manarat Al Saadiyat.
The second Abu Dhabi Masterpieces Collection: Exhibition-Dossiers continued to showcase historically significant masterpieces which further highlights Abu Dhabi’s position as a world-leading cultural centre.
Among the highlights in the second exhibition was the 18th-century pair by Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin. While commissioned together, the two paintings – Still Life with Musical Instruments, Basket of Fruit and Guitar and Musical Instruments and Parrot – were separated into different collections in 2014 and have now been reunited for the first time since. The pieces exemplify Chardin’s mastery of light, texture, and composition while inviting the appreciation of music, nature, and the beauty of everyday life.
Offering a compelling contrast was Jean-Michel Basquiat’s vibrant work, El Gran Espectaculo (The Nile). The triptych, a three-panel painting created at the height of the artist’s career in 1983, explores complex historical themes through Basquiat’s distinctive style.
The first Abu Dhabi Masterpieces Collection: Exhibition-Dossiers showcased three remarkable works from the Masterpieces Collection: Confirmation by the 17th-century master Nicolas Poussin, Self-Portrait by the 20th-century artist Pierre Bonnard, and Triptyque 2000 – 23.12.2001 by the contemporary artist Zao Wou-Ki.
Confirmation (ca. 1637–1640) by Nicolas Poussin is part of the artist’s renowned Seven Sacraments series. This painting holds a central place in the history of Western art, created by an artist regarded as a pivotal figure in the history of art in general. Touching on both spiritual and social themes, the work’s inclusion in the Masterpieces Collection aims to attract a new global audience and to inspire future generations.
Self-Portrait (1939) by Pierre Bonnard is a key component of the artist’s late series of self-portraits. In its depiction of an intimate and enclosed world, the painting creates a powerful emotional impact, standing as one of the most sensitive and deeply affecting self-portraits of its time.
Triptyque 2000 – 23.12.2001, (2000-2001) by contemporary artist Zao Wou-Ki is an important work that highlights the expressive possibilities arising from the intersection of different cultural traditions and pictorial languages. Blending traditional Chinese aesthetics with Western modernist techniques, the triptych is a lyrical representation of nature that transcends visual perception.
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