‘Bollywood Superstars’ at Louvre Abu Dhabi

Exhibition on Indian cinema at the iconic museum until June 4

The Indian subcontinent’s art of imagery and fimmaking is being showcased at the Louvre Abu Dhabi through a new temporary exhibition that runs until June 4.

‘Bollywood Superstars: A Short Story of Indian Cinema’ is being organised in partnership with French museum Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac and museum consultancy France Museum, and features 80 artworks, including 30 extracts.

Manuel Rabaté, Louvre Abu Dhabi’s director, said: “Bollywood Superstars demonstrates our commitment to showcase the wealth of cultures that define so much of life in the UAE.”

Curators

Bollywood Superstars is cocurated by Julien Rousseau, curator and head of the Asian Collections at Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, and Hélène Kessous, PhD in Social Anthropology and Ethnology, École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, with the support of Dr Souraya Noujaim, director of scientific, curatorial and collections management at Louvre Abu Dhabi.

What to expect

The comprehensive displays span the history of Indian cinema from storytelling, dance, and pre-cinema to the influence of religion and mythology and the rise of superstars.

A cultural programme will include an in-depth talk led by the exhibition’s curators on January 24, and the screening of six iconic Bollywood films throughout March. The Secret Soirée event will also return with a new larger scale edition, Secret Soirée: Mumbai Nights 2.

Other events include an Express Tour of the exhibition, Make and Play activities where families can explore different kinds of storytelling techniques inspired by Bollywood film posters, and a Young Visitor’s Guide to Indian cinema.