Gold mask with nose ornament Colombia 600-1500 AD

Treasures of the World’s Cultures, anexhibition in collaboration with the British Museum, featuring regional loans from the Al Ain National Museum and Sharjah Archeology Museum will run at Manarat Al Saadiyat on Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi on April 17 and run until July 17.

The exhibition tells the story of more than two million years of human life through some of the world’s most magnificent objects.

From paintings that reflect the rich and varied traditions of Islamic art and tools made in East Africa during the Old Stone Age to masterpieces from Renaissance Europe, the exhibition explores the varied interpretations of ‘treasure’. Featuring examples of ‘buried treasure’ and recent artworks from around the world, the exhibition connects historical and modern cultural perspectives through one visual experience.

The exhibition, which will run daily from 10m until 8pm and is free-to-enter, starts with the beginning of human existence, in Africa, at a time when survival, success, status and relationships first began to depend on material things. Objects began to have meanings and significance beyond their usefulness and beautiful things started to inspire and define people. The importance of material culture in global societies is witnessed in the succeeding galleries as visitors go on a journey through the Middle East, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. The exhibition culminates with objects from the Modern World.