A rundown of Louvre Abu Dhabi's public programme during Rendezvous in Paris exhibition

Highlights include Cubist-inspired performances, film screenings, and a night of electronic music under the dome

Visitors at the 'Rendezvous in Paris' exhibition, on view at the Louvre Abu Dhabi until Saturday, December 7. Ismail Noor
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Louvre Abu Dhabi's first international exhibition for the new season opened last month, and the museum has announced its public programme of performances, workshops and film screenings to complement the show.

Held in partnership with the Centre Pompidou, Rendezvous in Paris: Picasso, Chagall, Modigliani & Co. (1900-1939) highlights the output of migrant artists Paris from the early 20th century until the First World War.

The show features 85 works by major artists from the Avant-Garde movement, including Pablo Picasso, Chaim Soutine, Marc Chagall, Constantin Brancusi, Amedeo Modigliani, Tamara de Lempicka and others.

With a mix of chronological and thematic sections, the exhibition offers visitors insight into the social landscape of the city during this period and the many art movements that sprung out of it, including fauvism, cubism, orphism, photographic modernism and elements of surrealism.

This year, the museum’s public programme has been curated by Ruth Mackenzie, a renowned artistic direction that has worked with the Threatre du Chatelet in Paris and was the former director of the Holland Festival and London 2012 Festival for the Olympic Games.

As part of the programme, visitors with admission tickets can attend free exhibition tours every Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 2:30pm, and every Friday and Saturday at 11:30am and 2:30pm. The tours will continue until Saturday, December 7.

Masterclass with Emirati artist Mohammed Al Mulla

Self-taught artist Mohammed Al Mulla uses art as a means of expressing his own emotions. Inspired by the works of Margaret Keene, Tamara de Lempicka, Tim Burton, and Modigliani, Al Mulla often paints psychological portraits of characters with big alluring eyes, elongated necks, and thin reed like arms.

As part of their public programme, the museum is offering a masterclass with Emirati artist Mohammed Al Mulla. Courtesy Louvre Abu Dhabi
As part of their public programme, the museum is offering a masterclass with Emirati artist Mohammed Al Mulla. Courtesy Louvre Abu Dhabi

His Masterclass takes place on October 4 to 5 across two locations inside the museum: the International Exhibition galleries and the Art Studios. Participants will learn about portraying emotion and expression and experimenting with human representation. Using the works in Rendezvous in Paris as reference and inspiration, visitors will get tips on the mixing and application of colours and paint.

Performances and film screenings

In a Cubist-inspired interactive performance titled Parade: Picasso and Cocteau machines, 'living puppet machines' walk around the museum and engage with visitors.

These 'machines' are actually performers donning reproductions of Picasso's costumes, which the artist created for the ballet piece Parade. Composed for the Ballet Russes in 1917, Parade also included a one-act scenario written by poet and playwright Jean Cocteau.

Deep into his Cubist period, Picasso brought these influences to the costumes he designed, even using cardboard boxes as his material to bring the angular, geometric elements of the painting style to life.

The performances will take place in the museum at various times from October 25 to 26 and November 28 to 29, and are free for visitors with admissions tickets.

A line-up of film screenings have also been scheduled to go with Rendezvous in Paris, which highlights Paris as a place that offered artistic freedom.

The 2017 documentary film A Great Day in Paris follows a project by American saxophonist Ricky Ford as he tries to bring together 75 US jazz musicians living in France for a historic photograph in Paris. Directed by Michka Saäl, the film – which took 10 years to finish – explores the idea of exile for artists and features footage of the event, interviews and performances.

The film will be screened on Wednesday, October 9 at 6pm.

Picasso admirers will get a chance to learn more about the artist with the documentary Young Picasso. Directed by Phil Grabsky, the film traces Picasso's early years and upbringing, his experiences in Malaga, Barcelona and Paris, and how these cities impacted his work. The film also focuses on a significant work that shocked the art world – Picasso's 1097 Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (The Young Ladies of Avignon). The painting shows the beginnings of Cubist painting, with Picasso rendering the human form in very angular shapes and his use of flat perspective. The work also challenged depictions of women and femininity at the time.

The film will be screened on Wednesday, October 16 at 6pm.

Admission to each film screening is free, and tickets can be pre-booked on louvreabudhabi.ae or by calling 600 56 55 66.

Cubist Electro Night with a DJ set

For Cubist Electro Night on Thursday, November 21, Cubist-inspired visuals will light the facades and the iconic dome of the museum as live DJ sets play electronic tunes.

Acts will go late into the night, from 10pm to 2am, with a line-up of international DJs including Two Fingers, the alter ego of Brazilian musician Amon Tobin; and Molecule, a French pioneer in sound innovation. There will also be sets by Boogie Box DJs, Hassan Alwan and Tristan Girault.

Tickets are sold for AED150. For details, visit louvreabudhabi.ae

Weekend activities for families

Every month, the museum is putting on activities for children, including creative workshops and storytelling sessions.

In line with the current exhibition, the month of October features the theme 'Cubist Fun for Everyone' – a series of activities on October 25 and 26 where children learn more about the use of colours and shapes in the paintings on view as part of Rendezvous in Paris.

More details on the Louvre Abu Dhabi’s public programme can be found on louvreabudhabi.ae