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UAE: Louvre Abu Dhabi to soon feature Leonardo da Vinci's 'Saint John the Baptist'

The loan of the renowned masterpiece comes as part of the museum’s five-year anniversary celebration

Art aficionados in the UAE will soon be able to see one of the masterpieces of world art — in person. Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Saint John the Baptist’ is coming to the Louvre Abu Dhabi, on loan from the Musée du Louvre, Paris.

Starting November 8, the painting will be on display for two years in the permanent galleries of the Louvre Abu Dhabi. The exceptional loan of the world-famous artists’ renowned masterpiece comes as part of the Louvre Abu Dhabi’s five-year anniversary celebration.

“Louvre Abu Dhabi is a unique achievement and a tremendous success in the museum world. This museum, the result of an unprecedented collaboration between the UAE and France, has won the hearts and minds of an ever-growing public for five years. The celebration of this anniversary is a great opportunity for the Louvre to reiterate its pride in working alongside our partners and thus projecting ourselves into the next decade,” said Laurence des Cars, president and director of Musée du Louvre.

One of the most famous paintings in the Louvre, Saint John the Baptist by Leonardo da Vinci represents the utmost peak of the Tuscan master’s genius, along with the entire Renaissance movement. The mystery and grace emanating from the figure of Saint John, as well as the skilful chiaroscuro painting technique, has never stopped fascinating millions of visitors annually within the world’s most-visited museum in Paris.

“I am delighted to see the arrival at Louvre Abu Dhabi of Saint John the Baptist, a marvellous masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci, which fascinates museum visitors with its intensity and soothing beauty. We could not imagine a finer ambassador of our values,” des Cars noted.

Left unfinished at the death of the artist, Saint John the Baptist once belonged to very prestigious owners, including King Charles I of England, followed by France’s King Louis XIV, before joining the Musée du Louvre after its opening in 1793. Saint John the Baptist was restored in 2016 by the Louvre Paintings Department.

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Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman, Louvre Abu Dhabi, said: “The arrival of this renowned masterpiece from Musée du Louvre demonstrates the unique and profound nature of our long-term collaboration. Visitors to Louvre Abu Dhabi have an unmissable opportunity to engage with a magnificent artwork that captures an extraordinary moment in history and now represents a monumental chapter in our own grand story.”

"As we celebrate Louvre Abu Dhabi’s five-year anniversary next month, we must also reflect on how this iconic museum is at the forefront of an unfolding vision for Saadiyat Cultural District – promoting worldwide connections through the universal language of history, culture and the arts.”