Full-scale model of a traditional Korean house interior, around 20 square metre floorplan with 2.5 metre ceiling. Design: City Council of Jeonju in collaboration with Le Koji; financing and onsite construction: City Council of Jeonju, South Korea. Photo credit: ©Design W.C JEONG of “Le Koji”, in collaboration with City Council of Jeonju
Source: ©Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi
Hanging of a Kakemono, ISODA KORYUSAI (active from 1764–1788) Japan, Edo period (1603–1868). Woodblock print (nishike-e) H. 26; W. 19.1 cm. Paris, Musée National des Arts Asiatiques – Guimet, EO 1907. Photo credit: ©RMN-Grand Palais (MNAAG, Paris) / image RMN-GP
Source: ©Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi
KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI (Edo, 1760–1849). Storm Below the Summit [Sanka hakuu], from the series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji [Fugaku sanjūrokkei] Japan, late 1831 Woodblock print (nishike-e) H. 26; W. 38.7 cm. Louvre Abu Dhabi, LAD 2020.090. Photo credit: ©Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi. Photo: Sylvie VanRoey
Source: ©Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi
Katsushika Hokusai (1760 – 1849). Under the Wave off Kanagawa [Kanagawa oki nami ura], from the series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji [Fugaku sanjurokkei] Japan, c. 1830. Woodblock print (nishike-e) H. 25.7; W. 38.1 cm. Louvre Abu Dhabi, LAD 2020.91. Photo credit: © Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi. Photo: Ismail Noor / Seeing Things
Source: ©Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi
Lotus Sutra of the Good Law [Miao fa lian hua jing]Chinese translation by Kumārajīva of the Saddharmapundarīka-sūtra China, c. 1590. Manuscript in seven parts; brush and gold ink on dark indigo paper H. 36; W. 12 cm (each page) and H. 36; W. 1920 cm (first part) Paris, Musée National des Arts Asiatiques – Guimet, BG 28828. Photo credit: ©RMN-Grand Palais (MNAAG, Paris) / Thierry Ollivier
Source: ©Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi
MIR ALI HARAVI (Herat, Afghanistan, 1465–Bukhara, Uzbekistan, 1544), calligraphy SANG ‘ALI BADAKHSHI, decoupage Cut-out paper calligraphy album Iran or Uzbekistan, first half of the 16th century Ink, colours, and gold on paper 12 cardboard pages mounted in a leporello. H. 15.5; W. 24 cm. Paris, Musée du Louvre, Department of Islamic Art, MAO 2286. Photo credit: ©RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Hervé Lewandowski
Source: ©Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi
Portrait of the Painter Mir Musavvir Holding a Petition and Portrait of an Anonymous Scholar, single album page Formerly attributed to MIR SAYYID ‘ALI (c. 1510–1572) and LA’L (active c. 1570–1604). India, late 16th century; restorations in Iran, 19th century Colours, ink, and gold on paper; coloured or marbled paper (framing strips and margin) H. 23.7; W. 36 cm (page) Paris, Musée du Louvre, Department of Islamic Art, OA 3619 i (verso). Photo credit: ©RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Mathieu Rabeau
Source: ©Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi
Purple Quran, Tunisia, c. 1405. Silver ink and red ink on purple-dyed paper, 79. H. 17.5; W. 11 cm. Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Department of Manuscripts, Arabe 392, f. 25v and 26r. Image credit : ©Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France
Source: ©Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi
Sadiqi Beg (Tabriz, Iran, 1533/1534-Isfahan, Iran, 1609/1610). Youth in a Landscape, single album page Iran, Isfahan, c. 1590. Reed pen, brush; ink, pigments, and gold on paper. H. 34.5; W. 22 cm. Louvre Abu Dhabi, LAD 2020.130. Photo credit: ©Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi. Photo: Sylvie VanRoey
Source: ©Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi
Attributed to HUI NENG (638–713). The Sixth Patriarch’s Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra [六祖大師法寶壇經.륙조대사법보단경, Liu zu da shi fa bao tan jing. Lyuk čo dä sa pōp po dan kyon] Korea, 1370. Book of 64 folios, woodblock printing on hanji paper. H. 22.6; W. 15.1 cm. Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale de France, Department of Manuscripts, Coréen 110, f. 13v–14r. Image credit: © Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France
Source: ©Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu DhabiLighter than clay or bamboo and less expensive than silk or parchment, paper is one of humanity’s humblest but most profound inventions. From the first century to the present and from ancient Asia to Europe and contemporary Arabia, Stories of Paper examines the rich artistic legacy of this fragile material that not only became indispensable for record keeping and trade but has proved essential to cultural interaction and intellectual exchange for two millennia.
Organised by Louvre Abu Dhabi in partnership with Musée du Louvre and France Muséums, Stories of Paper discovers the extensive variety of artistic expressions of paper, with the purpose of encouraging richer knowledge of a familiar, and increasingly versatile material. It features contemporary artworks by Michelangelo Pistoletto, Pouran Jinchi, and Hassan Sharif alongside masterworks by Katsushika Hokusai, Antonio Pisanello and Pablo Picasso.
About 100 artworks and objects from 16 museums, cultural institutions and private collections are on display. These include books, manuscripts, drawings, a reproduction of a house and 13 contemporary artworks and installations made of paper. The exhibition takes visitors on a journey through time to discover the various ways in which paper was utilised across cultures. Visitors will also be able to enjoy a diverse public programme of wide-ranging cultural activities.
Stories of Paper spans 12 themed sections, all of which highlight the key qualities and varied use of paper across centuries with immersive scenography. The themed sections include Plant Origins, An Affordable, Widely Used and Multipurpose Material, Movement, Colour, Transparency and Translucency, A Versatile Material, a Substitute Material, A Support for Reproducing Works, Fragility and Resistance, A Space, A Possibility of Collecting, A Space of Annotating, of Associating Comments and Images, a Trace and a Malleable Support. The exhibition allows the visitors to understand the tools and mechanisms used to create paper, and also invite them to explore the different textures of paper through the mediation devices.
The exhibition is curated by the Musée du Louvre’s Xavier Salmon, General Curator and Director of the Department of Drawings and Prints, and Victor Hundsbuckler, Curator at the Department of Drawings and Prints, with the support of Dr. Souraya Noujaim, Director of Scientific, Curatorial and Collections Management at Louvre Abu Dhabi. The curators were assisted by Amna Rashed Al Zaabi, Senior Curatorial Assistant, Louvre Abu Dhabi, Charlotte Maury, Art Collection Officer, Department of Islamic Art, Musée du Louvre and Cristina Cramerotti, Musée National des Arts Asiatiques – Guimet.
The info is extracted from the press release.
The exhibition is on view until the 24th of July, 2022.
