The Louvre Abu Dhabi will host an exhibition titled “Bollywood Superstars: A Short History of Indian Cinema” from January 24 to June 4. Organized in partnership with the Muse du quai Branly Jacques Chirac and France Musums, the exhibition will present the depth and richness of the art and civilization of the Indian subcontinents through its long tradition of image creation and the diversity of the Indian film industry.
Through more than 80 works of art including photographs, textiles, graphic arts, costumes and more than 30 film clips, the exhibition explores the rich history of Indian cinema from its beginnings in the late 19th century to ‘nowadays. The works come from the collections of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Musée du quai Branly Jacques Chirac, the Teardrop Museum, the National Museum of Asian Arts Guimet, the al-Sabah Collection, the Raja Ravi Varma Heritage Foundation and the Priya Collection Paul.
The exhibition is co-curated by Julien Rousseau, curator and head of the Asian collections, Muse du Quai Branly Jacques Chirac, and Hlne Kessous, doctor in social anthropology and ethnology, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, with the support of Dr. Souraya Noujaim, Director of Scientific, Curatorial and Collections Management at Louvre Abu Dhabi.
As the world’s largest film producer, India currently produces over 1,500 films a year in some 20 languages, which are then exported throughout Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Through Bollywood Superstars, visitors to the museum will discover how Indian pioneers used nascent imaging technologies such as lithography and photography, kicking off the journey from the birth of early films to great musical films.
Visitors will gain a better understanding of the international success of Bollywood and an appreciation for the diversity of Indian cinematography. Comprehensive exhibits cover the history of Indian cinema, from storytelling, dance and pre-cinema to the influence of religion and mythology and the rise of Bollywood superstars.
