23 April–1 August 2014
Manarat Al Saadiyat
Saadiyat Island
United Arab Emirates
www.saadiyatculturaldistrict.ae
Third in a series of major public exhibitions before the opening of Zayed National Museum, A History of the World in 100 Objects presented by Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), in collaboration with the British Museum, exhibited 100 significant objects for 100 days, bringing contemporary audiences face to face with cultures across time and space.
The first time the popular radio series has been created as a physical exhibition, A History of the World in 100 Objects brought to life the material culture of the past, through a variety of objects such as a lifelike cast bronze hand from Yemen that was made between 100 and 300 CE, an Egyptian granite statue of the Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II discovered on Elephantine Island at the Temple of Khnum, and the famous Royal Game of Ur, found in a royal cemetery in southern Iraq and estimated to be around 4,500 years old. Within the exhibition narrative the story continues to contemporary time and to the celebration of today’s objects such as Emirati student from the UAE University, Reem Al Marzouqi’s recently conceived Prototype Foot-controlled Car.
Following Neil MacGregor’s opening lecture, “Unlocking Objects,” the exhibition was accompanied by an extensive public programme that included 72 workshops, two lectures and a popular Artscape event that brought the exhibition to life through music and live art.
Zayed National Museum will celebrate the unification of the Emirates and their transformation into a modern nation under Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (1918–2004)—the “Father of the Nation,” within the context of the Middle East and the wider world. Designed for the public, the museum will enable visitors to encounter an unparalleled collection of art and artefacts from ancient and living cultures of the UAE, Arabia and the wider Middle East.
For further details please visit www.saadiyatculturaldistrict.ae or contact Emma Cantwell:
T +971 2 6981847 / ecantwell [at] tcaabudhabi.ae
About Zayed National Museum
Located in a dramatic new building at the centre of the Saadiyat Cultural District, and commanding views of Abu Dhabi and the Gulf beyond, Zayed National Museum will establish a national museum in the UAE. The museum will celebrate the unification of the Emirates and their transformation into a modern nation under Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (1918–2004)—the “Father of the Nation.” It will also be a place for the Emirati people to honour their cultural heritage and explore and affirm their identity and the connections they have shared with the wider world for thousands of years. This international centre of teaching and learning will enable visitors to encounter an unparalleled collection of art and artefacts from ancient and living cultures of the UAE, Arabia and the wider Middle East. As the centrepiece of a district devoted to culture, the arts and the finest 21st-century architecture, Zayed National Museum will sit alongside Louvre Abu Dhabi, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and a growing number of arts institutions to form a cultural hub of international significance.
