Inside Abu Dhabi’s major Picasso exhibition

Welcome back to AL-MONITOR Dubai.

As the Holy Month of Ramadan begins, we highlight several exhibitions to visit in the United Arab Emirates, including a major show of works by Pablo Picasso reflecting his lifelong exploration of the human figure at the Louvre Abu Dhabi; an upcoming solo exhibition of works by Sara Naim at The Third Line in Dubai; a Japanese temaki restaurant in Downtown Dubai; and the return of Hai Ramadan, a nightly festival at Expo City Dubai that occurs throughout the Holy Month.

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Happy reading,

Rebecca

P.S. Have feedback or tips on Dubai's culture scene? Send them my way at contactus@al-monitor.com.

1. Leading the week: ‘Picasso, the Figure’ opens at Louvre Abu Dhabi

Pablo Picasso, “Figures at the Seaside,” 1931, oil on canvas. (Courtesy of Louvre Abu Dhabi)

A major new exhibition dedicated to seven decades of Pablo Picasso’s art and impact on the world has opened at Louvre Abu Dhabi. On display at the exhibition, titled “Picasso, the Figure,” are works exploring Picasso’s long fascination with reshaping how the human body could be perceived and reimagining its place in modern art. At the heart of the exhibition is the assertion that Picasso was above all a painter of the human form. Throughout the 20th century, his art maintained a continuous connection and exploration of the human form amid moments of political upheaval, personal challenges and artistic experimentation. 

Picasso’s treatment of figuration is revealed in the exhibition through early experiments with Cubism to classical portraits, surrealist works and his bold late paintings.

The exhibition, staged in collaboration with the Musee National Picasso-Paris, presents 130 works of art, many drawn from the Paris museum’s collection, alongside seven from the Louvre Abu Dhabi collection; six from the Department of Culture and Tourism-Abu Dhabi; and other significant loans from France, Qatar, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates and West Asia.

Valuable contributions from eight lending institutions, private collections and one art gallery — including Musee du Louvre in Paris, Mobilier National in Paris, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha, Dalloul Art Foundation in Beirut, Meem Gallery in Dubai and Barjeel Art Foundation in Sharjah — further enrich the art on display.

The exhibition is curated under the direction of President of the Musee National Picasso-Paris Cecile Debray, Chief Curator and Head of Sculpture and Ceramics at the Musee national Picasso-Paris Virginie Perdrisot-Cassan, and Associate Curator at Louvre Abu Dhabi Aisha AlAhmadi.

Structured into five thematic sections, it showcases works reflective of  Picasso’s formal evolution with enduring mythological archetypes, his early Catalan sculptures and how African and Oceanic art shaped his radical simplifications of the body, and the emergence of Cubism. 

The show also presents works by six modern Arab artists highlighting Picasso’s impact on modern art in the Arab world and its resonance beyond Europe. Among them are paintings by Iraqi artists Dia al-Azzawi, Jewad Selim and Shakir Hassan Al Said, and Egyptian artist Ramses Younan. A painted ceramic work by Algerian painter and ceramist Baya Mahieddine is also on view. Mahieddine’s 1947 exhibition at Galerie Maeght in Paris drew the attention of Surrealists and Picasso himself and initiated an artistic exchange.

A key moment in the show is the juxtaposition of Dora Maar’s photographs documenting the creation of Guernica with Iraqi artist Dia al-Azzawi’s “Elegy to My Trapped City” (2011), drawing similarities between both artists’ use of art as a tool for political commentary and grounding the exhibition in the Arab world.

Date: Until May 31

Location: Louvre Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi 

Find more information here. 

2. Word on the street: Tezukuri

A view of Tezukuri, the intimate new handroll bar in Downtown Dubai. (Courtesy of Tezukuri)

For lovers of Kinoya, the popular ramen and izakaya restaurant, founder Chef Neha Mishra has opened Tezukuri, an upscale, intimate temaki handroll bar and listening lounge in Downtown Dubai with Atelier House Hospitality.

Tezukuri, which means “handroll” or “handcrafted” in Japanese, opened in late 2025 and presents seasonal Japanese cuisine, offering premium ingredients like A5 wagyu and expertly paired sake in a minimalist, dimly lit setting with a hidden vinyl bar. The menu features expertly executed small plates or kobachi and handrolls. Be sure to try the A5 wagyu nigiri seared with charcoal, juicy chicken tsukune and the tangy daikon salad. Sit around the intimate counter and relish your meal while Chef Tatsuya passes freshly made, crisp nori temaki directly to diners.

Location: Ground floor of the Opera Grand Tower in Downtown Dubai 

Find more information here.

3. Dubai diary

Sara Naim, “Skin 9,” 2025, Oil on Canvas, 240 x 175 cm (Photo courtesy of Sara Naim)

• ‘From the Perspective of Language’ by Sara Naim

Sara Naim, a Syrian visual artist born in London, will present “From the Perspective of Language,” her fourth solo exhibition, at The Third Line. The show marks her first public presentation of paintings produced between 2023 and 2026, comprising large-scale works that move between figuration and abstraction to probe the limits of representation through symbolically charged imagery. The show is accompanied by Naim’s new video performance, “Mother Practices Her Tongue” (2026), which abstracts the Arabic language into gestures and sounds that no longer offer a clear meaning. Combined, Naim’s paintings and video explore how inherited systems — language, symbols and ideology — construct meaning.

Date: March 4-7 

Location: The Third Line, Dubai 

Find more information here.

• ‘The Task of the Mythologist’ by Anahita Razmi

Marking Anahita Razmi’s sixth solo exhibition at the gallery, “The Task of the Mythologist” builds on Roland Barthes’ canonical book, “Mythologies,” (1957) to analyze how myths are constructed through signs and symbols. In response to Western popular culture, Barthes explored how what he terms “modern myths” are produced through everyday words and objects. Razmi draws on Barthes’ analysis to examine how global power structures are embedded in our material and virtual worlds, where they generate their own myths and symbols. For Razmi, symbols such as the fingers-crossed emoji, a Turkish talismanic shirt, or a ’90s Britpop emblem reflect meanings of instability and uncertainty that change depending on context and use.

Date: Until March 20

Location: Carbon 12 Gallery, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

Find more information here. 

• Hai Ramadan

One of the most popular Ramadan events in Dubai has returned to Expo City. Every evening of Ramadan, visitors can watch the Al Wasl Dome light up with vibrant projections and afterward make their way to souq-style markets featuring a variety of Emirati artisanal products, including perfumes, jewelry and tailor-made clothing. An immersive experience that blends traditional Emirati heritage with modern entertainment, be sure to check out a variety of dining options for iftar, including Iftar Al Souk, a lively, free-flowing food market with traditional cars and live stations; Iftar Al Majlis, a seated international buffet under the Al Wasl Dome with live traditional music and a variety of food trucks offering street food like shawarma, burgers and traditional sweets like luqaimat. 

Date: Until March 17

Location: Expo City Dubai

Find more information here.