Louvre Abu Dhabi to exhibit Rembrandt and Vermeer masterpieces

Louvre Abu Dhabi exhibit Rembrandt and Vermeer

The Louvre Abu Dhabi, the first museum to carry the name outside France, has announced that it will display works by the Dutch masters Rembrandt and Vermeer this month.

Works by the two artists are part of the gallery’s first exhibition of 2019 – Rembrandt, Vermeer and the Dutch Golden Age: Masterpieces from the Leiden collection and the Musée du Louvre.

The exhibition in the United Arab Emirates capital is dedicated to the renowned fijnschilders (fine painters) of the Netherlands.

“Rembrandt is a master of the Golden Age,” said the museum’s head, Manuel Rabate. “He’s a universal genius, he’s connected to the world.”

The exhibition’s 95 works include Vermeer’s Young Woman Seated at a Virginal and Rembrandt’s Portrait of a Man. Study of the Head and Clasped Hands of a Young Man as Christ in Prayer by Rembrandt will also feature, and has been acquired by the museum for its permanent collection.

The Louvre Abu Dhabi was opened in November 2017 – nearly five years behind schedule – by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and Abu Dhabi’s crown prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.

Marketed as a “universal museum” celebrating cultural exchange and tolerance, the Louvre Abu Dhabi has reportedly cost the UAE about $1bn, including about $500m to use the Louvre brand. Officials have not confirmed the price tag.

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