Talking Art Series: A musical finale

Jahida Wehbe singing at the final Talking Art Series of the season at Manarat Al Saadiyat. (Courtesy: The Cool Box)
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Last night, the Lebanese singer Jahida Wehbe, brought the diversity of the Louvre Abu Dhabi’s collection to life through a repertoire of poetic song.

Wehbe sang a selection of Arabic classics as well as her own poetry inspired by the complexity and diversity of the art pieces that will take up permanent home in the Abu Dhabi museum due to open next year.

The performance brought to a close the seasonal finale of the Talking Art Series that was taking place on Manarat al Saadiyat.

It followed a talk by Herve Barbaret, Managing Director of Louvre, Jean-Francois Charnier, Scientific Director of Agence France Museums and Algerian author Waciny Laredj who discussed the history of the concept of universality through a Greek sphinx from the Louvre Abu Dhabi collection.

Hessa Al Dhaheri, the museum’s project manager says that Wehbe embodied the Louvre Abu Dhabi in an artistic form.

“When we approached Jahida we showed her our collection and explained to her the concept behind the museum. She was she was the perfect voice of expressing our concept of universality through music and poetry,” she says.

Wehbe sung in many languages but put the focus on Arabic. “I bring all the influences of the world together and unite them in this region,” she says. “This is what the Louvre Abu Dhabi will also do.”