No matter where you are from in the world, there is a good chance you have heard the phrase “slow and steady wins the race”, and the associated fable of the hare and the tortoise.
Such anthropomorphic tales are so ubiquitous that they have penetrated societies across the globe, and a new exhibition at the Louvre Abu Dhabi is diving into the origins of these fables from as far back as the 8th Century BCE.
"From Kalīla wa Dimna to La Fontaine: Travelling through Fables", on display at the Saadiyat Island gallery, traces the evolution of various tales from India’s Panchatantra and Ibn al-Muqaffa’s Kalīla wa Dimna, and of Aesop of the Greco-Roman world, up until Jean de La Fontaine’s translations and beyond.
Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi. Photo: Ismail Noor/Seeing Things
Dr. Guilhem André, Acting Director for Scientific, Curatorial and Collections Management, Louvre Abu Dhabi, said, "We are excited to bring this unique and thought-provoking exhibition to Louvre Abu Dhabi, showcasing the timeless power of fables from different cultures and eras. Through this exhibition, visitors will have the opportunity to explore the universal themes and lessons found in these stories and understand the significance they hold in shaping our world.”
Across 132 artworks, including rare manuscripts, paintings and contemporary works, the exhibition focuses on the evolution of the fable through the contributions of two key figures: Aesop in the Greco-Roman world, and Ibn al-Muqaffa in the Arab-Islamic world.
The exhibition is divided into into three main sections – Travelling Tales, Telling Stories, and The Fables Today – with highlights including one of the oldest illustrated manuscripts of Kalīla wa Dimna by Ibn al-Muqaffa, dating back to the Ayyubid dynasty, and a portrait of Jean de La Fontaine by Émile Bayard.
Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi. Photo: Ismail Noor/Seeing Things
At the end of the exhibition, visitors are able to create their own fable through artificial intelligence by choosing different animals and a moral that they wish to convey, a first for the museum.
"From Kalīla wa Dimna to La Fontaine: Travelling through Fables" is open daily during regular museum opening hours, which are 10 am until 6.30 pm from Tuesday to Thursday, and from 10 am until 8.30 pm from Friday to Sunday. The exhibition is open until July 21, 2024.
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