Mexico City.- A colossal Olmec head is one of the protagonists of the five pieces that were temporarily integrated into the halls of the Louvre in Abu Dhabi dedicated to showcasing the cultures of America and Mexico. Credit: Courtesy of INAH
A “theater” type incense burner, belonging to the Teotihuacan culture (100 BC-800 AD) is also part of the collection on display. Credit: Courtesy of INAH
Also of note is a Teotihuacan mask in the collection loaned by INAH to the museum in the United Arab Emirates. Credit: Courtesy of INAH
In the center, Luis Alfonso de Alba, Ambassador of Mexico to the United Arab Emirates; Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, President of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, and Teresa Mercado, Undersecretary of the SRE, who inaugurated the exhibition. Credit: Courtesy of INAH
Five archaeological pieces of great cultural value, from what is now Mexico, serve as ambassadors of Mesoamerican art at the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
Advertising
Starting on September 20, the pieces loaned by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) are on display in the rooms dedicated to the cultures of America and Mexico, in the facility whose mission is to be considered the “universal museum of the Arab world.”
At a prominent site, for example, the Colossal Head number 5, from the Olmec culture, traveled from the Anthropology Museum of Xalapa, its 4,200 kilograms of weight, to the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). At another site, a ceremonial mask from the Mayan culture, recently found in Calakmul, will have one of its first encounters with the public, far from its place of origin, to return to Mexico along with the other pieces in April 2025.
Loaned to the museum to mark Mexico’s Independence Day, the objects are part of Louvre Abu Dhabi’s “Ambassador Objects” programme, one of its flagship strategies to temporarily expand its collection.
“We are honored to host these precious objects to show the region significant chapters of Mesoamerican history,” said the director of Louvre Abu Dhabi, Manuel Rabaté, according to the INAH in a statement. The third piece on loan is an atlante from Chichén Itzá, from the National Museum of World Cultures, and whose anthropomorphic figure was used in Mayan culture to support altars or places of worship. The archaeological zone of Teotihuacán is represented with two different pieces, starting with an anthropomorphic stone mask, associated with agriculture and fertility. Also, by a “theater” type censer, also from the Teotihuacan culture, which was used for charcoal and copal. The process to bring the pieces to the UAE lasted a full year and was organized by specialists from the National Coordination of Museums and Exhibitions (CNMyE) of the INAH. According to the department, in addition to the selection of the pieces, this involved checking that they all met the shipping requirements. In what is promised as a long-term collaboration with the Louvre Abu Dhabi, its president, Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, celebrated the agreement as one that fosters understanding between cultures. “One of the most essential functions of culture is to improve mutual understanding and respect between societies around the world,” he said. “Since its opening, our museum’s ongoing cross-cultural outreach and collaboration with prestigious regional and international institutions have presented the community and visitors of the emirate with a variety of global treasures and a wealth of knowledge,” he added. As part of the activities to celebrate the arrival of the pieces, the museum presented a curatorial talk on Friday 20, in which it highlighted the importance of the Olmec head, one of the 17 in existence. The inaugural loan ceremony included the participation of the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, Teresa Mercado Pérez, and the director of the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum, Manuel Rabaté. Founded in 2017, the Louvre Abu Dhabi is located on the northwestern tip of Saadiyat Island, overlooking the Persian Gulf, in a building designed by French Pritzker winner Jean Nouvel.
#Gallery #Mesoamerican #ambassadors #arrive #Abu #Dhabi
