Louvre Abu Dhabi has announced significant acquisitions of art works as part of the museum's plans to boost its permanent collection ahead of the launch next year.

unveils more of its collection and announces exhibition in 2013 prior to the museum opening

These new works will be unveiled at the second edition of "Louvre Abu Dhabi: Talking Art Series" to be held from October 3 to June 26 next year.

It is a rich programme of public events which explore the significance of individual works both in art historical terms and in the context of the museum’s growing collection.

The series of lectures, organised jointly by TCA Abu Dhabi, Agence France-Muséums and the Ecole du Louvre, open up a dialogue with the public providing insight into the museum’s narrative and collection ahead of its opening.

Commenting on the move, Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, the chairman of  Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA) Abu Dhabi said: "We are pleased to share with the public the vast array of works acquired for Louvre Abu Dhabi, and enable them to experience and interact with the museum’s content as we shape its collection and prepare for the opening."

The art works, he said, have been carefully acquired and compliment the universal narrative of the museum, representing world civilisations and important artistic periods across time.

Some of the new acquisitions include: one of the finest examples of a standing Bactrian Princess from the end of the 3rd millennium BCE, a beautifully-preserved pavement and fountain ensemble dating from the early Ottoman period and Paul Gauguin’s masterpiece Breton Boys Wrestling from 1888.

A photography collection is also starting, including Joseph Girault de Prangey’s Ayoucha, the most ancient known photographic representation of a veiled woman, said the TCA chief.

Henri Loyrette, the president-director of the Louvre Museum, said: "I am particularly pleased with the progress of Louvre Abu Dhabi. The Talking Art Series are an essential step in building awareness of the future museum and its collection, enriched by new, exceptional acquisitions."

"Moreover, it is important for the transmission of know-how and of expertise ahead of the Museum opening - a strong example being the programme of Master Classes for students starting at Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi with the Ecole du Louvre," he added.

Louvre Abu Dhabi also announces its next exhibition of the Louvre Abu Dhabi collection in Abu Dhabi in April 2013.

Entitled Birth of a Museum, the exhibition will be the next presentation of the collection of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, which is set to open in 2015. A version of the exhibition will also be shown in Paris at the Louvre Museum.-TradeArabia News Service