The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has unveiled artworks and artefacts which form the Abu Dhabi Masterpieces Collection, a grouping of the most significant pieces within the Abu Dhabi Collection.
The comprehensive Abu Dhabi Collection offers a global discourse of the world’s artistic production.
Bringing together artworks and artefacts from around the world and spanning prehistory to the present, the collection further elevates Abu Dhabi’s status as a world-leading cultural centre engaged in the creation and sharing of research and knowledge.
The Abu Dhabi Masterpieces Collection spans a plethora of art movements and genres of art history, adopts the best practices and ethics of collection management and fosters global conversations on the world’s art scene.
Abu Dhabi Masterpieces Collection signals Abu Dhabi’s commitment to forging a cultural legacy of exceptional quality and significance and highlights the emirate’s dedication to building a collection that communicates cross-cultural and universal narratives. The Abu Dhabi Masterpieces Collection affirms the dynamic 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.
His Excellency Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, said: "Developing this comprehensive collection, featuring masterpieces from across the history of art, supports the growth of a vibrant cultural scene across Abu Dhabi and the wider region. Creativity holds immense power to drive education and social change, and offering access to such remarkable works is intrinsic to Abu Dhabi’s cultural engagement, nurturing a cultural scene, and fostering strategic partnership and exchange opportunities with the world.”
DCT Abu Dhabi is presenting a selection of the Abu Dhabi Masterpieces Collection in a series of exhibition-dossiers, offering a way to understand the vision of the collection and illustrating its principle to cover all techniques and periods of civilisations, from prehistory to present time.
Organised at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi, the inaugural exhibition-dossier showcased three remarkable works from the Abu Dhabi 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 Abu Dhabi 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.
The first exhibition-dossier of the Abu Dhabi Masterpieces Collection immersed viewers in the unique creative universes of these three artists, showcasing works that represent the pinnacle of their artistic achievements.
As Abu Dhabi continues to innovate and invest in the arts, DCT Abu Dhabi remains dedicated to promoting cross-cultural understanding and showcasing timeless works that will inspire future generations. New exhibition-dossiers from the Abu Dhabi Masterpieces Collection will be unveiled over the coming months, offering further exciting opportunities for engagement and discovery.
