What is luxury?

“10,000 Years of Luxury” is an exhibition at the Louvre Abu Dhabi that examines the meaning behind luxury through years and years of interpretations. Over the past 10,000 years, the definition behind “luxury” has changed and evolved… and confused!

The show was produced in partnership with the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris and curated by Olivier Gabet, the museum’s director. With 350 objects on display, this show does an amazing job of featuring how individual societies view luxury.

Most galleries are dark and one spotlight is set on the objects and the commentary showcased. In the section dedicated to the ancient world, there is a 2,000-year-old silver Boscoreale Treasure tableware found near Pompeii, earrings, and spice jars. These all illustrate how collecting objects (in jewel boxes and tombs) developed the early ideas around value.

There are many juxtapositions meant to invite the viewer to question his own ideas about luxury. For example, the ancient Roman Republic was adherent to frugality and Greek philosophers frequently questioned whether or not unnecessary objects lead to greed and vanity.

A fascinating part of the show illustrates how the Industrial Revolution of the 19th-century changed perspectives via the rise of a new social class. The age of mass production brought contradictions… rarity was valued but branding was becoming influential. Rather than standing out from everyone else, luxury spending became associated with “fitting in.”

The largest hall, 15,000-square-foot of exhibition space, is saved for Paris as it is defined as the center for European luxury. The Paris World Fair in 1878 brought on the vision of master craftsmen notable to France. With couture gowns, designer shoes, and a 1920s Louis Vuitton steamer trunk, there is no denying that France has been the epicenter of luxury for many years.

The exhibition ends in a room that features a large hourglass. Designed by Marc Newson, the hourglass sits in front of a huge window overlooking the gleaming blue Arabian Sea. The meaning is obvious, throughout history time has been the one luxury that no one can capture or replicate. Maybe “10,000 Yeas of Luxury” wants us to step back, contemplate, and take a moment to truly appreciate life.

The exhibition’s curator, Olivier Gabet said, “At a time when we have explored virtually all means of material expression, definitions of luxury continue to evolve and mean many different things to different people. But for me, the common thread to be maintained around the idea is rarity.”