Louvre Abu Dhabi has announced its 2026–2027 season, unveiling a year-long programme of exhibitions and cultural initiatives that span continents, histories and artistic traditions. The season brings together themes of cultural exchange across the Indian Ocean, heritage preservation, and contemporary artistic expression from the GCC, India and beyond.
Opening the programme is a new Children’s Museum exhibition, A Board Game Adventure, which explores the universal appeal of board games as tools for learning, creativity and social connection.
This will be followed by Spices and Wonders: Sailing the Indian Ocean, developed in partnership with the Guimet – National Museum of Asian Arts. The exhibition traces more than 1,000 years of maritime trade and cultural exchange across Africa, the Middle East, Europe, South Asia and Southeast Asia, highlighting the Indian Ocean as a historic crossroads of civilisations.
The season will also feature Art Here 2026, themed Confluences, alongside the Richard Mille Art Prize, continuing the museum’s support for emerging contemporary artists from the GCC and India.
The programme will conclude with Living Legacies. Protecting Heritage. Building Hope, created in collaboration with the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage (ALIPH), focusing on global efforts to safeguard cultural heritage in conflict-affected and vulnerable regions.
Museum officials said the season reflects Louvre Abu Dhabi’s mission to foster dialogue between cultures through exhibitions that highlight shared histories, exchange and human connection.
A Board Game Adventure will run from July 2026 to April 2027 and will feature historical and regional board games such as chess, carrom, ludo and mancala, alongside artefacts from the museum’s collection and international loans.
Spices and Wonders: Sailing the Indian Ocean will be held from October 2026 to February 2027, showcasing historical trade routes and exchanged goods including spices, textiles and ceramics. A second edition will later travel to Paris at the Guimet museum.
Art Here 2026 and the Richard Mille Art Prize will run from November 2026 to February 2027, featuring contemporary works under the theme Confluences, curated by Kamini Sawhney.
Living Legacies will run from November 2026 to April 2027, presenting artefacts and immersive installations developed with international partners and ALIPH.
Alongside the exhibitions, the museum will host talks, performances, workshops, screenings and educational programmes designed to deepen public engagement with its collections. These will be supported by catalogues, guided tours, podcasts and family-focused learning resources.
The museum will also continue established initiatives such as Book and Easel, Drawing at the Museum, the Quantum Dome Project and Art in Scents, as well as its multilingual audio experience We Are Not Alone.
Overall, the 2026–2027 season reinforces Louvre Abu Dhabi’s position as a global cultural platform dedicated to creativity, heritage and cross-cultural understanding.
