Art ahead | Highway Gallery by the Louvre Abu Dhabi
The Highway Gallery is an innovative project developed by the Louvre Abu Dhabi in celebration of the United Arab Emirates Innovation month. It has been created to reinforce art’s role in elevating everyday life into something beautiful and memorable. The Highway Gallery which showcases 10 magnificent artworks is located alongside the E11 or Sheikh Zayed Road from Dubai to Abu Dhabi. The masterpieces on display in giant 8×6 meter frames are introduced at 3 radio stations. The 10 artworks are just an example, to see them in person you need to visit the museum.
The Highway Gallery
The first of its kind in the world, Louvre Abu Dhabi’s Highway Gallery will showcase the museum’s iconic masterpieces on the drive from Dubai to Abu Dhabi. In partnership with Abu Dhabi Media Company, Radio 1 FM (100.5 FM), Classic FM (91.6 FM) and Emarat FM (95.8 FM) will automatically play a 30-second story about each piece as travelers approach the display – the world’s first audio-visual experience of this kind. The Highway Gallery was launched February the 15th and was on show for a month. The campaign is produced by Tony Hertz for TBWA/RAAD Dubai.
Her Excellency Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development and Chair of Abu Dhabi Media, said: “This exhibition puts Abu Dhabi on the map of global innovations that underpin its axes of art, culture and information. In alignment with the national strategy of innovation that aims to position the UAE among the most innovative countries in the world over the next seven years. We have built an advanced platform that provides the public with a variety of categories and interests, by providing them with rich and diverse content that contributes to our mission in transferring culture and knowledge. Allowing the community to benefit from the technological development integrated in the UAE’s media and cultural sectors.”
Ancient masterpieces showcased in the Highway Gallery include the Mari-Cha lion, an important Islamic work from the Mediterranean region; the exceptional Egyptian Sarcophagus of Princess Henuttawy; a coin inspired by Alexander the Great and discovered in the UAE, on loan from Al Ain Museum; and an 8,000-year-old two-headed statue one of the oldest monumental statues in the history of humanity, on loan from the Department of Antiquities of Jordan.
Paintings spanning from the Renaissance to modernity will also be on display. These include Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait of a woman, La Belle Ferronnière, a loan from Musée du Louvre; Van Gogh’s 1887 Self Portrait, on loan from Musée d’Orsay; and Édouard Manet’s The Fife Player, on loan from Musée d’Orsay. Other Paintings from the Louvre Abu Dhabi’s Collection include Young Emir Studying by Osman Hamdi Bey; Gilbert Stuart’s portrait of George Washington; and Piet Mondrian’s iconic Composition with Blue, Red, Yellow and Black.
About the Louvre Abu Dhabi
Louvre Abu Dhabi is a universal museum on Saadiyat Island that exhibits art and artefacts from ancient times to the present day. Designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, the museum contains 12 chapters in the galleries, special exhibition spaces, a Children’s Museum, auditorium, restaurants, retail and a research centre. Surrounded by the sea, the buildings are connected by waterfront promenades beneath the museum’s stunning dome.
Website: Louvre Abu Dhabi
