Luxury and Power Explored in 10,000 Years of Luxury at Louvre Abu Dhabi

The exhibition '10,000 Years of Luxury' at Louvre Abu Dhabi, curated by Olivier Gabet, examines the historical relationship between luxury and power from the Neolithic period to the third millennium. It features over 500 objects, including the 'Pearl of Abu Dhabi' (dated 5800–5600 BCE), Syrian basins with geometric motifs, Italian velvets, Moorish ceramics, German missals, and Limoges porcelain. The show traces luxury's evolution from a symbol of political and spiritual authority in ancient civilizations (Egypt, Republican Rome) to a mass-produced commodity in the Industrial Revolution, and finally to a consumer good in the 19th and 20th centuries, with fashion houses like Vionnet, Worth, Paquin, Chanel, Givenchy, Lanvin, and Dior. The exhibition also highlights the shift from unique craftsmanship to serial production, and the emergence of design as a luxury category, exemplified by works of Edward Godwin, Jean-Michel Frank, and Gloria Cortina. It concludes with a glass hourglass by Marc Newson filled with gold dust, symbolizing time as the ultimate luxury. The show runs until February 18, 2020, at Louvre Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island.