Louvre Abu Dhabi's 'Travelling Through Fables’ Exhibition Now Open

Louvre Abu Dhabi has unveiled its first exhibition of 2024, ‘From Kalila wa Dimna to La Fontaine: Travelling through Fables’. The exhibition, held in partnership with Bibliothèque Nationale de France and France Muséums, delves into the charming and mystical world of animal tales embedded within historical manuscripts, showcasing a collection of ancient stories and illustrated fables.

The exhibition features over 130 pieces, including manuscripts, paintings and contemporary works and illustrations, telling timeless narratives of friendship, loyalty, cunning and morality. Fables often began as oral histories, passed down through generations in various distinct cultures around the world, serving as entertainment and education for audiences.

The exhibition traces the origins of the genre following its evolution through the contributions of two key figures: Aesop in the Greco-Roman world, and Ibn Al Muqaffa in the Arab-Islamic world. It is divided into three sections, namely Travelling Tales, Telling Stories, and Fables Today, with prominent pieces from France, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.