Bollywood exhibition celebrating the history of Indian cinema coming to Louvre Abu Dhabi
Bollywood and the history of Indian cinema will be celebrated at an art exhibition at the Louvre gallery in Abu Dhabi.
Tracing more than 100 years of Indian cinema history the Bollywood Superstars exhibition will explore the rich history of films from the region.
As part of its 2023 cultural season, Louvre Abu Dhabi has announced its upcoming exhibition, Bollywood Superstars: A Short Story of Indian Cinema, opening on January 24 and running until June 4, 2023.
Bollywood superstars in Abu Dhabi
Organised in partnership with Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac and France Muséums, the exhibition will showcase the depth and richness of the Indian subcontinent’s art and civilisation through its long tradition of image-making and the diversity of the Indian filmmaking industry.
Through more than 80 artworks, including photographs, textiles, graphic arts, costumes and more than 30 film extracts, the exhibition explores the rich history of Indian cinema from its beginnings in the late 19th Century up to the present.
The artworks come from the collections of Louvre Abu Dhabi, Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, Musée de l’armée, Musée national des arts asiatiques – Guimet, al-Sabah Collection, Raja Ravi Varma Heritage Foundation and Priya Paul Collection.
As the world’s leading film producer, India currently produces more than 1,500 films a year in nearly 20 languages, which are then exported throughout Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
Through Bollywood Superstars, museumgoers will discover how Indian pioneers utilised nascent image technologies such as lithography and photography, kickstarting the journey from the birth of the first films to grand musical features.
Visitors will gain a deeper understanding of the international success of Bollywood and an appreciation of the diversity of Indian cinematography.
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 Bollywood superstars.
Manuel Rabaté, Director of Louvre Abu Dhabi, said, “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.”
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 Hélène 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 adored by their fans in India in a way that is rarely seen elsewhere in the world.”
