Abu Dhabi’s World Art Day Celebrations: A Journey Through Picasso’s Fascination with the Human Form, Everything You Need to Know

Abu Dhabi is celebrating World Art Day 2026 with a series of high-profile events centered in the Saadiyat Cultural District, most notably the exhibition "Picasso, the Figure" at the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Running until May 31, the show features loans from the Musée National Picasso-Paris and the Musée du Louvre, exploring the artist's lifelong obsession with the human form. The festivities also include documentary screenings, olfactory art experiences, and extensive community workshops at Manarat Al Saadiyat covering ceramics, textiles, and printmaking.

A "National Treasure" Enters the Louvre

Un « trésor national » entre au Louvre

The Musée du Louvre has quietly acquired and installed a major masterpiece of French decorative arts: a commode adorned with Sèvres porcelain plaques by the renowned cabinetmaker Bernard II van Risen Burgh (BVRB). Formerly part of the prestigious Rothschild family collections, the piece was classified as a "national treasure" by the French government in 2023. Although the museum originally planned a public fundraising campaign to finance the acquisition, the initiative was canceled following a high-profile burglary at the museum in October 2025.