As Leonardo da Vinci’s Saint John the Baptist nears the end of its time at Louvre Abu Dhabi, another masterpiece will travel to the UAE to become the museum’s highlight loan.
Saint John the Baptist will be returned to Musee du Louvre by the end of the year. The French institution lent the 16th-century oil on wood painting to Louvre Abu Dhabi in November 2022, in celebration of the museum’s fifth anniversary.
The painting is notable for its youthful depiction of Saint John, who was portrayed as a gaunt figure up until Leonardo's work. It is considered to be one of the Italian polymath’s key works and a prime example of his genius. The artist carried the painting with him and ceaselessly worked on it until his death in 1519.
The painting is dense with historical and artistic merit. However, the work that will take its place is just as impressive. It is older and has connotations closer to home.
Pyxis in the name of Al-Mughira will be displayed at Louvre Abu Dhabi in November. It will be on loan from the department of Islamic Arts at Musee du Louvre.
Originating from Spain's Umayyad period in the 10th century, this small ivory container showcases intricate carvings that push the boundaries of the material used. Indeed, the ivory is carved so thinly that certain parts of the container become almost translucent when held up to the light.
“There’s some kind of magic when you take one material and, because of the treatment, you push it to its maximum,” says Manuel Rabate, director of Louvre Abu Dhabi. “When you get an opaque material to become transparent, it’s because you’ve treated it [expertly]. You go too far and you break it.”
Rabate adds that it requires a high level of technique, precision and elegance to be able to take a material such as ivory and make it translucent. The container was made in a workshop within the fortified palace city of Madinat al-Zahra, near what is today Cordoba. It was created as a present for the son of Abd al-Rahman III, the Umayyad Emir of Cordoba.
The inscription running across the base of the lid reads: “Blessing from God, goodwill, happiness and prosperity to al-Mughira, son of the Commander of the Faithful, may God's mercy [be upon him], made in the year 357 [Hijri]”.
The engravings on the pyxis feature motifs that symbolise the power of the Umayyad Caliphate. These include falcon nests, palm trees and images of fighting bulls and lions, perhaps taking inspiration from the story within Kalila wa Dimna. An exhibition surrounding the collection of fables by Ibn al-Muqaffa is currently on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi.
Inside the permanent galleries of Louvre Abu Dhabi, Pyxis in the name of Al-Mughira will have its own dedicated room, featuring scenography designed to accentuate the intricacies of the artwork's craftsmanship. It will be surrounded, Rabate says, with “architectural elements” that aim to convey the time and context in which the work was created.
Pyxis in the name of Al-Mughira, Rabate says, sustains Louvre Abu Dhabi’s mission of highlighting human creativity and cross-cultural understanding. In fact, this objective resonates throughout the three exhibitions planned by the museum for the upcoming season.
Louvre Abu Dhabi Art Here 2024 and Richard Mille Art Prize
The fourth Richard Mille Art Prize, an annual initiative organised by Louvre Abu Dhabi in partnership with the luxury Swiss watchmaking brand, will revolve around the theme of Awakenings.
In a first, the prize will be expanded to include submissions from North Africa, alongside its usual GCC participation. The expansion comes as part of a vision by the prize’s curator this year – Simon Njami is a curator, art critic and lecturer who has overseen several international exhibitions dedicated to spotlighting African contemporary artists.
“It’s going to be stimulating,” Rabate says.
As with every year, shortlisted artists will have the opportunity to present their site-specific works at the Art Here exhibition in Louvre Abu Dhabi. A winner will be chosen by a panel in December 2024.
Art Here 2024 will reprise an element it introduced in last year’s exhibition – that is, displaying the shortlisted works in the outdoor area of the museum. “We're doing it again outdoors,” Rabate says. “Because it was a success last year. Really pleasant.”
Art Here 2024 will run from September 20 to December 15
Post-Impressionism: Beyond Appearances
After a 2022 exhibition at Louvre Abu Dhabi explored the significance of the impressionism movement, Post-Impressionism: Beyond Appearances will delve into the years that followed and the intense artistic experimentation after 1886.
The exhibition will be hosted in partnership with Musee d’Orsay. It will be co-curated by Jean-Remi Touzet, conservator for paintings at Musee d’Orsay, alongside Jerome Farigoule, chief curator at Louvre Abu Dhabi, with the support of curatorial assistant Aisha Al Ahmadi.
Post-Impressionism: Beyond Appearances will bring together several notable works from Europe as well as the Middle East. These include Vincent van Gogh’s The Bedroom, a legendary work that depicts the Dutch painter’s bedroom and studio in Arles. From the Arab world, meanwhile, two key paintings by Egyptian artist Georges Hanna Sabbagh will feature in the collection – The artist and his family at La Clarte (1920) and The Family; The Sabbagh in Paris (1921).
The exhibition, Rabate says, aims to demonstrate the global impact of the post-impressionist period. “You see how from one starting point, which is the sort of breakthrough, many schools [came about] and we saw masterpieces from each of them,” he says. “Most of the energy was happening in Paris, and around Paris, but we also see what it meant for people from around the world.”
Post-Impressionism: Beyond Appearances will run from October 26 to February 9
Kings and Queens of Africa: Forms and Figures of Power
Next year, Louvre Abu Dhabi is aiming to deliver an impressive exhibition of African art and history explored through the lens of the continent’s royalty. Held in partnership with Musee du Quai Branly, the exhibition will have more than 300 objects on display that delve into several facets of African culture and traditions that interlaced with the lives of the continent’s kings and queens.
The exhibition will be curated by Helene Joubert, head curator of the African Heritage Unit at Musee du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac. Joubert will be supported by two associates, El Hadji Malick Ndiaye, curator of Dakar’s Theodore Monod Museum of African Art – one of the oldest art museums in West Africa – and Cindy Olohou, an independent curator.
Mariam Al Dhaheri, curatorial assistant at Louvre Abu Dhabi, will also lend her support to the project. One of the highlights of the exhibition will be Ife Head from Nigeria.
The exhibition, Rabate says, is currently being developed in collaboration with African institutions and partners.
“We could not only do with our relationship with French museum. Of course, it’s more diverse than that,” he says. “We'll use the exhibition as a moment to be again a place of reflection, to discuss what is happening in Africa, which is a very dynamic continent.”
While the three exhibitions and the arrival of Pyxis in the name of Al-Mughira are highlights of Louvre Abu Dhabi’s upcoming season, they are by no means the sole attractions scheduled for the next few months at the museum. These include talks, activations and programmes curated for children.
Kings and Queens of Africa: Forms and Figures of Power will run from January 29 until May 25
RESULTS
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m
Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Fernando Jara (jockey), Ahmed Al Mehairbi (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: AF Seven Skies, Bernardo Pinheiro, Qais Aboud
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner: Almahroosa, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner: AF Sumoud, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Adventurous, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
MATCH INFO
Barcelona v Real Madrid, 11pm UAE
Match is on BeIN Sports
UAE jiu-jitsu squad
Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)
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How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries
• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.
• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.
• For more information visit the library network's website.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
THE APPRENTICE
Director: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 3/5
Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
How to help
Donate towards food and a flight by transferring money to this registered charity's account.
Account name: Dar Al Ber Society
Account Number: 11 530 734
IBAN: AE 9805 000 000 000 11 530 734
Bank Name: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
To ensure that your contribution reaches these people, please send the copy of deposit/transfer receipt to: juhi.khan@daralber.ae
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan 1 (Martinez 18' pen)
Juventus 2 (Dybala 4', Higuain 80')
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
I Feel Pretty
Dir: Abby Kohn/Mark Silverstein
Starring: Amy Schumer, Michelle Williams, Emily Ratajkowski, Rory Scovel
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
Tewellah by Nawal Zoghbi is out now.
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Funchal via Lisbon, with a connecting flight with Air Portugal. Economy class returns cost from Dh3,845 return including taxes.
The trip
The WalkMe app can be downloaded from the usual sources. If you don’t fancy doing the trip yourself, then Explore offers an eight-day levada trails tour from Dh3,050, not including flights.
The hotel
There isn’t another hotel anywhere in Madeira that matches the history and luxury of the Belmond Reid's Palace in Funchal. Doubles from Dh1,400 per night including taxes.
Match info
Arsenal 0
Manchester City 2
Sterling (14'), Bernardo Silva (64')
Your Guide to the Home
- Level 1 has a valet service if you choose not to park in the basement level. This level houses all the kitchenware, including covetable brand French Bull, along with a wide array of outdoor furnishings, lamps and lighting solutions, textiles like curtains, towels, cushions and bedding, and plenty of other home accessories.
- Level 2 features curated inspiration zones and solutions for bedrooms, living rooms and dining spaces. This is also where you’d go to customise your sofas and beds, and pick and choose from more than a dozen mattress options.
- Level 3 features The Home’s “man cave” set-up and a display of industrial and rustic furnishings. This level also has a mother’s room, a play area for children with staff to watch over the kids, furniture for nurseries and children’s rooms, and the store’s design studio.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
