Louvre Abu Dhabi’s 2026 to 2027 season opens with A Board Game Adventure on 18 July 2026.
Spices and Wonders: Sailing the Indian Ocean explores maritime trade from Antiquity to the 17th century.
Living Legacies highlights efforts to protect cultural heritage in vulnerable environments.
The programme spans archaeology and maritime exchange to cultural heritage and contemporary artistic voices.
Louvre Abu Dhabi has announced its 2026 to 2027 season, bringing together exhibitions that span centuries, continents and cultures. The year-long programme explores the power of play, the movement of people and goods across the Indian Ocean, the role of contemporary art in the region, and the urgent need to protect cultural heritage in places facing conflict and risk.
The season reflects the museum’s ongoing mission to connect stories from around the world. Through archaeological objects, immersive displays, contemporary commissions and cultural programming, Louvre Abu Dhabi will look at how ideas, materials and traditions have travelled across time.
The programme begins with A Board Game Adventure, running from 18 July 2026 to April 2027 at the Children’s Museum. Designed for young visitors and families, the exhibition explores the universal appeal of board games as tools for learning, imagination and connection. Featuring around 30 objects from Louvre Abu Dhabi’s collection, alongside regional and international loans, the show traces the journeys of games such as chess, carrom, ludo and mancala. Early examples from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia will also be on display.
From 14 October 2026 to 14 February 2027, Spices and Wonders: Sailing the Indian Ocean will take visitors across ancient maritime routes. Created in partnership with the Guimet, National Museum of Asian Arts in France, the exhibition explores how Africa, the Middle East, Europe, South Asia and Southeast Asia were linked through trade and navigation. Spices, textiles, ceramics and other cargo will tell the story of the Indian Ocean as a meeting point for cultures from Antiquity to the 17th century.
The sixth edition of Art Here 2026 and the Richard Mille Art Prize will run from 11 November 2026 to 28 February 2027. This year’s theme, Confluences, invites contemporary artists from the GCC and India to explore intertwined histories, migrations and cultural exchange. The exhibition is curated by Kamini Sawhney, founding director of the Museum of Art and Photography in Bengaluru.
Closing the season is Living Legacies. Protecting Heritage. Building Hope, running from 23 November 2026 to 25 April 2027. Organised with the ALIPH Foundation, the exhibition shares stories of communities working to restore and safeguard cultural heritage in fragile environments. Visitors will encounter artefacts, projections and testimonies in a multi-sensory setting.
Alongside the exhibitions, the museum will present talks, film screenings, performances, workshops, podcasts and guided tours. Families can also enjoy learning paths, work booklets and creative programmes, while initiatives such as Book and Easel, Drawing at the Museum, the Quantum Dome Project and Art in Scents will continue.
Where: Louvre Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Cultural District, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi
When: 18 July 2026 to April 2027
Contact: www.louvreabudhabi.ae