Letters of Light

Held in partnership with Bibliothèque nationale de France and France Muséums, this exhibition will spotlight the Holy Books of the three Abrahamic religions – the Quran, the Christian Bible, and the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) – exploring the historical context in which the holy books emerged, associated scholarly, talismanic, and mystical practices, and their role in intellectual and artistic history. As benefits the concept of a ‘universal’ museum, there will be an emphasis on the universal nature of the biblical, evangelical, and Quranic messages and the ethical dimension they possess by highlighting episodes and figures that are shared by all three.

It’s not yet clear what artefacts and information will be provided to support the show, but the Louvre and its partners have a lot of material between them; this could be a major show, highlighting points of similarity rather than the exaggerated differences that so often make the news.

To 14 January.

Above: Giovanni Bellini, Virgin and Child (1480–1485). In the collection of Louvre Abu Dhabi