FORGET about travelling to Paris and queuing at Le Louvre when brilliant artworks can be viewed in Abu Dhabi.
Louvre Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island exhibits art and artefacts from ancient times to the present day.
Designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, the museum represents an Arab madina (city) with its 23 permanent
galleries, exhibition galleries, children’s museum, auditorium, restaurants, retail and a research centre.
Surrounded by the sea, visitors can walk the promenades beneath the museum’s stunning dome and experience Nouvel’s enchanting “rain of light”, inspired by the shadows of overlapping palm trees in the UAE’s precious oases where travellers once crossed paths.
Artworks come from all over the world, brought together to highlight universal themes and similar influences, and mark a departure from many traditional Western museums, which separate objects from different civilisations. Themes include the portrayal of power, the representation of the divine, exploring unknown lands and the dawn of globalisation.
Louvre Abu Dhabi has acquired more than 600 artworks including individual works, series and collections. Many of these will be exhibited alongside 300 works on loan from 13 leading French institutions.
