As Leonardo da Vinci’s Saint John the Baptist nears the end of its time at Louvre Abu Dhabi, another masterpiece will travel to the UAE to become the museum’s highlight loan.
Saint John the Baptist will be returned to Musee du Louvre by the end of the year. The French institution lent the 16th-century oil on wood painting to Louvre Abu Dhabi in November 2022, in celebration of the museum’s fifth anniversary.
The painting is notable for its youthful depiction of Saint John, who was portrayed as a gaunt figure up until Leonardo's work. It is considered to be one of the Italian polymath’s key works and a prime example of his genius. The artist carried the painting with him and ceaselessly worked on it until his death in 1519.
The painting is dense with historical and artistic merit. However, the work that will take its place is just as impressive. It is older and has connotations closer to home.
Pyxis in the name of Al-Mughira will be displayed at Louvre Abu Dhabi in November. It will be on loan from the department of Islamic Arts at Musee du Louvre.
Originating from Spain's Umayyad period in the 10th century, this small ivory container showcases intricate carvings that push the boundaries of the material used. Indeed, the ivory is carved so thinly that certain parts of the container become almost translucent when held up to the light.
“There’s some kind of magic when you take one material and, because of the treatment, you push it to its maximum,” says Manuel Rabate, director of Louvre Abu Dhabi. “When you get an opaque material to become transparent, it’s because you’ve treated it [expertly]. You go too far and you break it.”
Rabate adds that it requires a high level of technique, precision and elegance to be able to take a material such as ivory and make it translucent. The container was made in a workshop within the fortified palace city of Madinat al-Zahra, near what is today Cordoba. It was created as a present for the son of Abd al-Rahman III, the Umayyad Emir of Cordoba.
The inscription running across the base of the lid reads: “Blessing from God, goodwill, happiness and prosperity to al-Mughira, son of the Commander of the Faithful, may God's mercy [be upon him], made in the year 357 [Hijri]”.
The engravings on the pyxis feature motifs that symbolise the power of the Umayyad Caliphate. These include falcon nests, palm trees and images of fighting bulls and lions, perhaps taking inspiration from the story within Kalila wa Dimna. An exhibition surrounding the collection of fables by Ibn al-Muqaffa is currently on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi.
Inside the permanent galleries of Louvre Abu Dhabi, Pyxis in the name of Al-Mughira will have its own dedicated room, featuring scenography designed to accentuate the intricacies of the artwork's craftsmanship. It will be surrounded, Rabate says, with “architectural elements” that aim to convey the time and context in which the work was created.
Pyxis in the name of Al-Mughira, Rabate says, sustains Louvre Abu Dhabi’s mission of highlighting human creativity and cross-cultural understanding. In fact, this objective resonates throughout the three exhibitions planned by the museum for the upcoming season.
Louvre Abu Dhabi Art Here 2024 and Richard Mille Art Prize
The fourth Richard Mille Art Prize, an annual initiative organised by Louvre Abu Dhabi in partnership with the luxury Swiss watchmaking brand, will revolve around the theme of Awakenings.
In a first, the prize will be expanded to include submissions from North Africa, alongside its usual GCC participation. The expansion comes as part of a vision by the prize’s curator this year – Simon Njami is a curator, art critic and lecturer who has overseen several international exhibitions dedicated to spotlighting African contemporary artists.
“It’s going to be stimulating,” Rabate says.
As with every year, shortlisted artists will have the opportunity to present their site-specific works at the Art Here exhibition in Louvre Abu Dhabi. A winner will be chosen by a panel in December 2024.
Art Here 2024 will reprise an element it introduced in last year’s exhibition – that is, displaying the shortlisted works in the outdoor area of the museum. “We're doing it again outdoors,” Rabate says. “Because it was a success last year. Really pleasant.”
Art Here 2024 will run from September 20 to December 15
Post-Impressionism: Beyond Appearances
After a 2022 exhibition at Louvre Abu Dhabi explored the significance of the impressionism movement, Post-Impressionism: Beyond Appearances will delve into the years that followed and the intense artistic experimentation after 1886.
The exhibition will be hosted in partnership with Musee d’Orsay. It will be co-curated by Jean-Remi Touzet, conservator for paintings at Musee d’Orsay, alongside Jerome Farigoule, chief curator at Louvre Abu Dhabi, with the support of curatorial assistant Aisha Al Ahmadi.
Post-Impressionism: Beyond Appearances will bring together several notable works from Europe as well as the Middle East. These include Vincent van Gogh’s The Bedroom, a legendary work that depicts the Dutch painter’s bedroom and studio in Arles. From the Arab world, meanwhile, two key paintings by Egyptian artist Georges Hanna Sabbagh will feature in the collection – The artist and his family at La Clarte (1920) and The Family; The Sabbagh in Paris (1921).
The exhibition, Rabate says, aims to demonstrate the global impact of the post-impressionist period. “You see how from one starting point, which is the sort of breakthrough, many schools [came about] and we saw masterpieces from each of them,” he says. “Most of the energy was happening in Paris, and around Paris, but we also see what it meant for people from around the world.”
Post-Impressionism: Beyond Appearances will run from October 26 to February 9
Kings and Queens of Africa: Forms and Figures of Power
Next year, Louvre Abu Dhabi is aiming to deliver an impressive exhibition of African art and history explored through the lens of the continent’s royalty. Held in partnership with Musee du Quai Branly, the exhibition will have more than 300 objects on display that delve into several facets of African culture and traditions that interlaced with the lives of the continent’s kings and queens.
The exhibition will be curated by Helene Joubert, head curator of the African Heritage Unit at Musee du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac. Joubert will be supported by two associates, El Hadji Malick Ndiaye, curator of Dakar’s Theodore Monod Museum of African Art – one of the oldest art museums in West Africa – and Cindy Olohou, an independent curator.
Mariam Al Dhaheri, curatorial assistant at Louvre Abu Dhabi, will also lend her support to the project. One of the highlights of the exhibition will be Ife Head from Nigeria.
The exhibition, Rabate says, is currently being developed in collaboration with African institutions and partners.
“We could not only do with our relationship with French museum. Of course, it’s more diverse than that,” he says. “We'll use the exhibition as a moment to be again a place of reflection, to discuss what is happening in Africa, which is a very dynamic continent.”
While the three exhibitions and the arrival of Pyxis in the name of Al-Mughira are highlights of Louvre Abu Dhabi’s upcoming season, they are by no means the sole attractions scheduled for the next few months at the museum. These include talks, activations and programmes curated for children.
Kings and Queens of Africa: Forms and Figures of Power will run from January 29 until May 25
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
The biog:
Favourite book: The Leader Who Had No Title by Robin Sharma
Pet Peeve: Racism
Proudest moment: Graduating from Sorbonne
What puts her off: Dishonesty in all its forms
Happiest period in her life: The beginning of her 30s
Favourite movie: "I have two. The Pursuit of Happiness and Homeless to Harvard"
Role model: Everyone. A child can be my role model
Slogan: The queen of peace, love and positive energy
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
THE DETAILS
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Dir: Ron Howard
Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson
3/5
I Feel Pretty
Dir: Abby Kohn/Mark Silverstein
Starring: Amy Schumer, Michelle Williams, Emily Ratajkowski, Rory Scovel
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
High profile Al Shabab attacks
- 2010: A restaurant attack in Kampala Uganda kills 74 people watching a Fifa World Cup final football match.
- 2013: The Westgate shopping mall attack, 62 civilians, five Kenyan soldiers and four gunmen are killed.
- 2014: A series of bombings and shootings across Kenya sees scores of civilians killed.
- 2015: Four gunmen attack Garissa University College in northeastern Kenya and take over 700 students hostage, killing those who identified as Christian; 148 die and 79 more are injured.
- 2016: An attack on a Kenyan military base in El Adde Somalia kills 180 soldiers.
- 2017: A suicide truck bombing outside the Safari Hotel in Mogadishu kills 587 people and destroys several city blocks, making it the deadliest attack by the group and the worst in Somalia’s history.
