Louvre Abu Dhabi

Louvre Abu Dhabi

Louvre Abu Dhabi is the first museum in the Arab World translating and fostering the spirit of openness between cultures, this iconic museum is one of the premier cultural institutions in the heart of the Saadiyate Cultural District on Saadiyat Island.

Louvre Abu Dhabi – the art museum is a special place open and welcoming people from all walks of life who visit to take in the architecture’s beauty, the museum is a haven for art lovers as it displays works of historical, cultural and sociological significance from ancient times to the contemporary era. The opening of this museum has elevated the Abu Dhabi art scene to a global scale, impalanting a strong sense of pride in both locals and residents.

Louvre Abu Dhabi is run under an agreement between the UAE and France signed in March 2007 that allows the museum to use the Louvre’s name until 2037 and has been described by the Louvre as France’s largest cultural project abroad.  The museum is approximately 24,000 square meters in size with 8,000 square meters of galleries making it the largest art museum in the Arabian Peninsula, artwork showcased in the museum are from around the world with stated intent to bridge the gap between Eastern and Western art.

Louvre Abu Dhabi is the most visited museum in the Arab as it had received over 2 million visitors by 2019, the museum was officially opened on November 11 2017.

Louvre Museum is a sister museum of the famous Louvre Museum in Paris and in the same cultural district of Abu Dhabi on the Saadiyat island where is it is located, you can find The Zayed National Museum and a maritime Museum. The island is currently busy with the construction of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum.

Louvre  Abu Dhabi’s architectural style

Louvre Museum – Abu Dhabi is a special building covered by a dome of metal stars, the impressive complex was designed by Jean Nouvel and consists of 55 small buildings and housing a total of 23 different exhibition spaces.

The largest part of the complex is located under the dome which has a diameter of 180 meters, the museum’s massive dome weighs 12,000 tons and is supported by just four huge columns cleverly hidden in the underlying buildings. This makes the entire dome to appear to float and to the special way in which the dome was built, a rain of light enters the museum that is according to the architect.

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Under the dome, the buildings are built according to traditional styles but are equipped with the most modern techniques. A lot of innovation has been applied most especially in the ventilation and energy consumption section, this is allowed since it can reach over 40 degrees in Abu Dhabi in the summer. At all times, the art and visitors in the museum must remain cool at all time, the museum has been slowly put under water making it look like the building is rising from the sea.

Louvre Abu Dhabi Collection

Over half a billion euros was paid by Abu Dhabi to use the Louvre name and another 700 million euros used to purchase the art, exhibitions and staff. Over half of the collection in the museum in Abu Dhabi consist of loans from the Paris mother museum and various other French Museums, the other half of the museum was bought by Abu Dhabi itself over the past 10 year. This collection now consists of more than 600 objects.

The Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci – The world’s most expensive painting.

The Louvre Museum hosts the most expensive painting in the world, this was announced in December 2017 that the most expensive painting in the world – the Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci will hang in the Louvre Abu Dhabi.

The painting had changed hands in November 2017 at the Christie’s auction house in New York for 450 million dollars which is the most price to be yielded by this painting.

According to The New York Times, the buyer of this expensive painting is a Saudi Prince who is friends with high – ranking officials from the government of the United Arab Emirates, this allows the Louvre in Abu Dhabi to display the painting on loan to its visitors.

Opening hours for Louvre Abu Dhabi

Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum is open every day of the week expect Monday, from Saturday to Wednesday – the museum is open from 10 am to 10 pm. The last entrance to the museum is possible until half an hour before closing time.

The museum’s Café, lounge and boutique have different opening times

• The Museum Café is open from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm from Saturday to Wednesday
• The lounge is open until 11:00 pm from Saturday to Wednesday
• On Thursday and Friday, the museum café is open from 10:00 am to 11:00 pm
• On Thursday and Friday, the lounge is open from 10:00 am to 11:00 pm.