India currently produces more than 1,500 films annually in around 20 different languages, making it the top producer of movies that are exported to other countries in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa…reports Asian Lite News
Bollywood Superstars: A Short Story of Indian Cinema, will debut on January 24 and last through June 4, 2023. It is an upcoming exhibition at the Louvre Abu Dhabi as part of its vibrant 2022-2023 cultural season. The exhibition, which was planned in collaboration with the Jacques Chirac and Musee du Quai Branly and France Museums, will highlight the diversity of the Indian filmmaking industry as well as the depth and richness of the Indian subcontinent’s art and civilization through its long tradition of image making.
The exhibition highlights the rich history of Indian cinema from its origins in the late 19th century up to the present through more than 80 artworks, including pictures, textiles, graphic arts, costumes, and more than 30 film clips. The pieces of art are drawn from the collections of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Jacques Chirac Museum at the Quai Branly, the Army Museum, the Guimet National Museum of East Asian Art, the al-Sabah Collection, the Raja Ravi Varma Heritage Foundation, and the Priya Paul Collection.
With the assistance of Dr. Souraya Noujaim, Director of Scientific, Curatorial, and Collections Management at Louvre Abu Dhabi, the exhibition is co-curated by Julien Rousseau, Curator and Head of the Asian Collections, Musee du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, and Helne Kessous, PhD in Social Anthropology and Ethnology, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en eSciences Sociales.
India currently produces more than 1,500 films annually in around 20 different languages, making it the top producer of movies that are exported to other countries in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Through Bollywood Superstars, visitors to the museum will learn how Indian pioneers used emerging image technologies like photography and lithography to jumpstart the transition from early motion pictures to large-scale musical productions. Visitors will learn more about Bollywood’s global popularity and have a greater appreciation for the variety of Indian cinema. The thorough exhibits cover every aspect of Indian cinema’s history, from pre-cinema, dancing, and storytelling, to the influence of religion and mythology, and the emergence of Bollywood celebrities.
Manuel Rabate, Director of Louvre Abu Dhabi, commented: “In a museum that invites visitors to discover artworks from all over the world, we are privileged to work again with Musee du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac on this exhibition that explores the image in movement, after our first collaboration in 2019 on an exhibition about the development of photography in its first years of existence. Bollywood Superstars is a feast not only to Indian audiences who are among the most important nationalities that visit Louvre Abu Dhabi, but also to everyone with an appetite for the rich culture of the sub-continent and its roots.”
Emmanuel Kasarherou, President of the Musee du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, said, “Bollywood Superstars stands out for the quality and originality of its content. It is bound to appeal to visitors at Louvre Abu Dhabi, an vital and influential institution that the Musee du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac is honoured to be associated with.”
Highlights from the exhibition include artworks from Louvre Abu Dhabi’s collection such as a Page from a Harivamsa Series: Krishna and His Courtiers by the Sea at Pandaraka (ca. 1820, Kangra, India); Mail and Plate Armour, Called “Four Mirrors” Armour (ca. 1600 – 1800, Mughal, India); and Krishna Surrounded by Gopis (ca. 1655, Rajasthan, India). Highlight loans from partner museums include a statuette of Krishna as a child playing the flute (second half of the 19th century, Rajasthan, India) from Musee du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac; a Dagger (late 17th Century, Kuwait) from al-Sabah Collection; Indian Armour (18th Century) from Musee de l’armee; and a Coat (19th century) from Musee national des arts asiatiques-Guimet. Cinema buffs will especially enjoy the screening of several iconic film extracts that have left an indelible mark on the history of Indian cinema.
The exhibition’s curators, Julien Rousseau and Helene Kessous, said, “This exhibition is a tribute to Bollywood and can be enjoyed by both Indian cinema fans and the wider public. We hope that it portrays the full richness of Asian traditions and tells the stories that led to the birth of this cinema. The exhibition celebrates Bollywood superstars who are adored by their fans in India in a way that is rarely seen elsewhere in the world.”
Dr Souraya Noujaim, Director of Scientific, Curatorial and Collections Management at Louvre Abu Dhabi said, “This exhibition provides a unique insight into an art genre that has a vast history and powerful present. The exhibition visitors will discover the depth of the Indian filmmaking industry since its beginning in the 19th century and gain a unique perspective into the richness of forms that pervaded its creation. The cross-influences, boosted by technology progress, underline the continued presence of the great mythological and literary narratives in Indian culture, and the vitality of its regional cultures. We are delighted to bring this exhibition to life to showcase the diversity of the Indian cinema.”
Bollywood Superstars is supported by PureHealth, as Louvre Abu Dhabi’s exhibition season partner. Details of the rich cultural and educational programme accompanying Bollywood Superstars: A Short Story of Indian Cinema will be announced at a later date. For more information about the exhibition and to book tickets, please visit louvreabudhabi.ae or call Louvre Abu Dhabi at +971 600 56 55 66. Entrance to the exhibition is free with the museum’s general admission tickets. Admission to the museum is free for children under the age of 18.
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