Where Art Meets Power: Africa’s Regal Legacy Unveiled at Louvre Abu Dhabi
From ancient thrones to pop art, discover how Africa’s past shapes its creative future
As one of the world’s most ambitious cultural institutions, Louvre Abu Dhabi has become known for its thoughtful exhibitions that connect global histories through art. Its latest showcase, Kings and Queens of Africa: Forms and Figures of Power, continues that mission by spotlighting the richness and complexity of African heritage through visual culture.
Divided into three geographical sections — West, Central, and Southern/Eastern Africa — it begins with a 14th-century bronze Crowned Head of Queen Oluwo from Ife, Nigeria, signifying royal authority.
The exhibition is the curatorial triumph of Hélène Joubert, El Hadji Malick Ndiaye, and Cindy Olohou, uniting over 350 artefacts from across the continent to chart a narrative rarely explored in the region. Spanning the 11th to 21st centuries, Louvre Abu Dhabi meticulously traces how art has been wielded as a tool of authority, identity, and resistance — from sacred relics to cutting-edge installations.
Nearby, an ornate Akatahounto drum from the Fon people underscores music’s role in ritual and governance. “The notion of excellence and beauty in service of power guided our selections,” explains Hélène Joubert, noting collaborations with institutions like Senegal’s IFAN-Cheikh Anta Diop.
Some of the key highlights include Abdoulaye Konaté’s Mali, A Treasure – a provocative meditation on Africa’s contested patrimony, invoking the Mali Empire’s golden legacy. The exhibition features an abundance of gold, with the Pectoral of Senegal standing out as a prominent artifact—its gleaming golden shine reflecting national pride.
One display in particular that captivates is the Egungun masquerade costume, native to 20th-century Yoruba culture. Egungun masquerades took place in yearly festivals and were held to celebrate one’s ancestors and seek blessings for the community. The costume, a structured ensemble consisting of layers of cloth and a face screen, was worn by performers who were believed to be possessed by these ancestral spirits.
Central Africa’s display takes a similar plunge into spirituality: Luba ceremonial bowls, used to commune with ancestors, sit alongside Teke masks adorned with geometric patterns. “Africa, as the cradle of humanity, has long been a source of resilience and creative expression,” remarks Manuel Rabaté, Director of Louvre Abu Dhabi. Kongo nkisi figures, studded with nails, and Luba ivory sceptres reveal how objects mediated between rulers and the divine.
The exhibition’s Islamic connections add nuanced layers. A 14th-century cotton tapestry depicting Mansa Musa’s hajj — a loan from France’s Musée du quai Branly — symbolises the Mali emperor’s enduring influence, while 19th-century Koranic cases from Mauritania highlight Islam’s integration into local aesthetics. “This is about universal stories,” asserts H.E. Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, a philosophy embodied in Louvre Abu Dhabi’s own acquisition: Gonçalo Mabunda’s Fluctuating Throne.
Constructed from Mozambican civil war armaments, its twisted metal form is a visceral reminder of art’s power to transmute trauma. The Phemba maternity figure from the Yombe culture of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is also displayed, serving as a moving homage to motherhood, along with the Altar Sculpture of a Rooster from Nigeria, once placed on the altar of ancestors in the Oba’s palace, symbolizes the Iyoba’s shared power with men and reflects the artistic mastery of Benin through its intricate feather-like incisions and expert casting.
This interplay of transformation resonates in El Anatsui’s Detsi, a stunning large-scale work made from an assemblage of consumed products, like cheese packaging and other materials, whose meaning shifts with each installation. Drawing its title from the Ewe language — interpreted variously as “redness,” “soaking,” or a nod to traditional palm-fruit soup that deepens in colouration when cooked — the piece becomes a metaphor for the fluidity of cultural identity. Like the ever-shifting landscapes of the Sub-Saharan region it evokes, Detsi invites both artist and viewer to reimagine its narrative with every encounter, embodying the exhibition’s central theme of art as a living dialogue between past and present.
Alongside the exhibition, Louvre Abu Dhabi also recently hosted the Masquerave, where DJ Black Coffee and his son, Sona, filled the night with hypnotic African house beats, as guests in Zak Ové’s striking masks lost themselves in a vibrant fusion of music, art, and performance.
With late-night masquerades under the stars, coffee ceremonies steeped in tradition, and symposiums sparking global conversations, the Louvre Abu Dhabi doesn’t just display art—it invites you to live it. The exhibition runs until June 08, so don’t miss out on your chance to do just that.