When Versailles comes to Abu Dhabi…

Versailles Abu Dhabi
Watch out, Versailles is coming to Abu Dhabi! The Versailles & Le Monde exhibition is on view at the Louvre Abu Dhabi until June 4, 2022. Visitors will be able to discover more than 120 unique works of art. Paintings, furniture, works of art and sculptures from Versailles and other French and international collections are brought together to show how the Palace of Versailles and its Court were the starting point of relations between East and West in the 17th and 18th centuries.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the British Empire was one of the largest in the world and the English were looking for a place to host their embassies. The French, who have lost their Indian colony, decide to sell Versailles to London.

However, the English do not want to pay this exorbitant price and they negotiate with the French so that Versailles is erected as a sort of symbol of the rapprochement between the two countries.

The project is carried out by Sir Edward Luytens and the castle is inaugurated in 1931. This means that Versailles is in one of the most strategic places.

Manuel Rabaté, director of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, does not hide his joy at hosting this event. “We are delighted to collaborate once again with our French partners for our first international exhibition of 2022,” he confides. “This exhibit sheds new light on the intricate web of diplomacy, commerce and creativity that has helped shape the culture of a globalized age. It is a pleasure to highlight the synergies between the historical role played by the Palace of Versailles, a place where people from different cultures met, and the Louvre Abu Dhabi, a museum dedicated to exploring and celebrating the diverse cultures of the world in our capital of the United Arab Emirates.”

The first part of the exhibition, “Castle open to the world: Visitors to Versailles”, explores the cultural diversity of visitors from all over the world to Versailles, marking the birth of modern Versailles Abu Dhabi tourism as early as the 17th century. Louis XIV made Versailles a theater of daily spectacle for all his courtiers, his subjects and visitors from all over the world.

Then, the second part of the exhibition, “The Orient revealed and the Orient as a Dream: the Exoticism of Versailles” focuses on interaction with the Orient. From the early years of Louis XIV's reign, a taste for exoticism spread to the French court, fueled by the literature and stories of travelers who ventured into the Ottoman Empire, Africa, America and Asia.

The third section, “Between the sky and the earth: Discovering the World”, testifies to the scientific policy implemented by France, through its thirst for discovery and knowledge of the terrestrial and celestial worlds. The European fascination with foreign cultures dovetailed with a phase of history that saw the European view becoming increasingly global.

When we think of Versailles, we remember the splendor, the gardens and the fountains. But today, this beautiful city has entered a new era and invites itself to Abu Dhabi for a unique experience.

The article is about the opening of the Versailles exhibition in Abu Dhabi. He explains that the exhibition has invaded the city and that Versailles is entering a new era, since it is no longer just a tourist attraction, but also a place of events. The article also mentions that this event will take place once every three months.