Lions, tigers and bears, oh my: a guide to the new exhibition at Louvre Abu Dhabi's Children's Museum

Animals: Between Real and Imaginary explores fantastical beasts - the fan favourite is an interactive shadow display

Louvre Abu Dhabi's children museum. Victor Besa / The National

In this puzzle, children can reassemble the askos design. Victor Besa / The National

A projection of power: a proud brass rooster from the Kingdom of Benin, aka present-day Nigeria. Victor Besa / The National

Art you can touch! A flipbook of a man feeding a camel in the new Louvre Abu Dhabi children's museum. Victor Besa / The National

Children can do brass rubbings to get a sense of the rooster's intricate designs. Victor Besa / The National

Fear not: a wooden masque from the indigenous Yup'ik people in Alaska, made around 1890-1910. Victor Besa / The National

An Estruscan water jug, called an askos, in the shape of a bird. The vessel is from 12th-3rd century BCE, Maybe don't let your kids pick up this one. Victor Besa / The National

From sly foxes to ferocious bears and faithful puppies, animals are an important part of the stories every child grows up with. A new exhibition at Louvre Abu Dhabi's children's museum explores how different cultures have conceived of animals in folklore, art, and everyday life.

The top hit, by far, is an interactive display that projects shadows of children on to the wall, and turns them into animals: hey presto! A bouncing cacophony of children, given bunny ears and antlers, lion tails and big horse backsides.

Taking work from its permanent collection, the children's museum enlivens the pieces in welcoming ways, from puzzles to interactive storytelling and technologies. As in the main galleries, a key theme is how different cultures converge and diverge: a brass rooster from Nigeria shows how the bird was used to signal power in the 18th century kingdom of Benin, while a gemellion – a bowl used for washing hands during the Middle Ages in Europe – invokes power with a painted lion.

The children’s museum is pitched at ages six and above – though it must be said that the majority of children always seem under that threshold. A few displays for the under sixes wouldn’t go amiss.

The exhibition Animals: Between Real and Imaginary runs until July 2019. Louvre Abu Dhabi is free for those 12 years and under, general admission for adults is Dh60. Detailed ticket information on website. 

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Read more:

Sharjah's Rain Room: Four things to know before you go to the permanent installation

10 hidden treasures to seek out when visiting Louvre Abu Dhabi

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