Calling all artists to submit their proposals for the Richard Mille Art Prize

Following Louvre Abu Dhabi and Swiss watchmaking brand Richard Mille’s announcement of the jury for the inaugural edition of their contemporary art exhibition Louvre Abu Dhabi Art Here 2021 and The Richard Mille Art Prize, Louvre Abu Dhabi has encouraged Emirati and UAE-based artists to submit their proposals for the contest.

For this inaugural year, the collaboration has come up with the theme of “Memory, Time and Territory” to guide the artists in their submissions. This theme has particular resonance in the context of the UAE’s Jubilee celebrations, allowing artists to reflect on the country’s legacy as a territory where questions of past, present and future combine and overlap.

Four to six artists will be shortlisted by the jury and will have their works exhibited during the museum’s new international exhibition, Louvre Abu Dhabi Art Here. This exhibition will serve as an annual platform to showcase contemporary artists working in a variety of media. The artworks will be displayed in the Forum, a space of interaction and exchange within Louvre Abu Dhabi dedicated to contemporary art. Louvre Abu Dhabi Art Here 2021 will open on November 16, 2021 with works on view through March 27, 2022.

One amongst these chosen artists will be the recipient of The Richard Mille Art Prize, with the announcement of the winner to take place in a ceremony organised at Louvre Abu Dhabi. The annual cash reward of 50,000 USD will be part of a ten-year commitment between the museum and Richard Mille.

Composed of four members, the jury has been drawn from diverse artistic spheres including curatorial, architectural and institutional. They are H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Chairman of UAE Unlimited, an art collector and patron of the Centre Pompidou, the British Museum, Sharjah Art Foundation, and an honorary patron of Art Dubai; Christine Macel, the Chief Curator at the Musée national d’art moderne, Centre Pompidou and an art critic; Hala Wardé, founding architect of HW Architecture, long-term partner of Jean Nouvel and the lead of the Louvre Abu Dhabi project; and Dr. Souraya Noujaim, Louvre Abu Dhabi’s Scientific, Curatorial and Collections Management Director.

“Louvre Abu Dhabi Art Here 2021 breathes new life into the role of the museum by not merely celebrating the past, but rooting and contextualising contemporary art in its present setting through interactions and links with contemporary artists,” said Dr. Noujaim. “We are happy to launch this new chapter in collaboration with Richard Mille, marking Louvre Abu Dhabi’s continued extension into contemporary art and highlighting our ever-present dedication to local artistic talent. For this first edition, we are privileged to have the support and expertise of our esteemed jury members, who have demonstrated their commitment to Louvre Abu Dhabi and their strong interest in the local contemporary art scene.”

The announcement of the winner of the inaugural Louvre Abu Dhabi Art Here 2021 and The Richard Mille Art Prize will run parallel to the UAE’s cultural season, which is made up of Dubai Expo 2020, Abu Dhabi Art, Dubai Design Week and Art Dubai; an exciting addition to a growing local calendar celebrating modern-day creativity. Proposals for the open call may be submitted until September 11, 2021 via the Louvre Abu Dhabi website.

For more information about Louvre Abu Dhabi Art Here 2021 exhibition and The Richard Mille Art Prize, please visit louvreabudhabi.ae.