New Delhi, Jan 11 (IANSlife): Bollywood Superstars: A Short Story of Indian Cinema, will debut on January 24 and last through June 4.
It is an upcoming exhibition at the Louvre Abu Dhabi as part of its vibrant 2022–2023 cultural season. The exhibition, which was planned in collaboration with the Jacques Chirac and Musée du Quai Branly and France Museums, will highlight the diversity of the Indian filmmaking industry as well as the depth and richness of the Indian subcontinent's art and civilization through its long tradition of image making.
The exhibition highlights the rich history of Indian cinema from its origins in the late 19th century up to the present through more than 80 artworks, including pictures, textiles, graphic arts, costumes, and more than 30 film clips. The pieces of art are drawn from the collections of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Jacques Chirac Museum at the Quai Branly, the Army Museum, the Guimet National Museum of East Asian Art, the al-Sabah Collection, the Raja Ravi Varma Heritage Foundation, and the Priya Paul Collection.
With the assistance of Dr Souraya Noujaim, Director of Scientific, Curatorial, and Collections Management at Louvre Abu Dhabi, the exhibition is co-curated by Julien Rousseau, Curator and Head of the Asian Collections, Musée du Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, and Hélène Kessous, PhD in Social Anthropology and Ethnology, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales.
India currently produces more than 1,500 films annually in around 20 different languages, making it the top producer of movies that are exported to other countries in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Through Bollywood Superstars, visitors to the museum will learn how Indian pioneers used emerging image technologies like photography and lithography to jumpstart the transition from early motion pictures to large-scale musical productions. Visitors will learn more about Bollywood's global popularity and have a greater appreciation for the variety of Indian cinema.
The thorough exhibits cover every aspect of Indian cinema's history, from pre-cinema, dancing, and storytelling, to the influence of religion and mythology, and the emergence of Bollywood celebrities.
Manuel Rabate, Director of Louvre Abu Dhabi, commented: "In a museum that invites visitors to discover artworks from all over the world, we are privileged to work again with Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac on this exhibition that explores the image in movement, after our first collaboration in 2019 on an exhibition about the development of photography in its first years of existence. Bollywood Superstars is a feast not only to Indian audiences who are among the most important nationalities that visit Louvre Abu Dhabi, but also to everyone with an appetite for the rich culture of the sub-continent and its roots."