The island
The Louvre Abu Dhabi is a part of one of the largest projects in the world: the Saadiyat Island. It is also known as Culture Island, where the Zayed National Museum (Arab culture) and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi (contemporary art) are expected to be completed by 2025. The island was partially artificially filled and has since fulfilled recreational, residential and commercial functions and is home to numerous golf clubs as well as luxurious hotels. The island's cultural district is home to the Louvre Abu Dhabi as well as the UAE Pavilion and Manarat Al Saadiyat facilities.The museum
The Louvre Abu Dhabi has both an outdoor and an indoor area and is surrounded by the Arabian Sea. The blocks set create courtyards and passages in the outdoor area that lead to the water. This means that the Louvre can also be reached by boat. Inside, more than 64500 ft² (6000 m²) are available for permanent exhibitions and about another 21500 ft (2000 m²) for temporary exhibitions. The Louvre Abu Dhabi focuses on the stories of human creativity that transcend individual cultures or civilizations, times or places. The museum's growing collection includes significant works of art and artifacts from across the world's human history, such as archaeological finds, decorative arts, neoclassical sculptures, modern master paintings, and modern installations.
The passage under the dome | Photo: Unsplash, Agnieszka KowalczykMore than just a museum
Architect Jean Nouvel is the creative mind behind the unique construction, which combines modern architecture with Arabic features. Through 55 white blocks of various sizes, a small city of its own is created, which reminds of old towns in the Arab region. The highlight of this building is a dome with a diameter of 178 m (584 ft), which is equal to the size of five soccer fields. In terms of weight, the construction also weighs quite a bit: 7500 tons, which is almost as much as the Eiffel Tower! A visit to the Louvre Abu Dhabi is therefore definitely not only for art enthusiasts.
The unique structure of the dome | Photo: Unsplash, Dmitry NovikovThe highlight
The dome of the Louvre consists of a multi-layered construction formed by 7850 metal stars and was created by the Viennese construction company Waagner-Biro. Light streams softly through the construction even inside the museum, creating enchanting plays of light. The construction fulfills several functions: on the outside it provides shade and inside it ensures an ideal microclimate to protect the exhibits suitably.The governments of the United Arab Emirates and France formed a collaboration in which 17 renowned cultural institutions of France, the Agence France-Muséums, took both a supportive and pioneering stance. They participated in the scientific conception of the museum and provided the Louvre Abu Dhabi with 300 works of art and their curators for the first ten years. They also support the Arab Louvre in building its own art collection.
The name Louvre does not come from somewhere
The construction of the most visited museum in the Arab world consumed 580 million euros. In addition, 400 million euros were paid to France in order to be able to use the name "Louvre" in the first place - these naming rights are also only secured for 30 years. About 600 million euros were spent on artistic loans and expertise. In total, the Louvre Abu Dhabi ended up costing 1.5 billion euros.
One of the many exhibits | Photo: Flickr, Jeremy Thompson - CC BY-NC-SA 2.0The diverse structure
The museum covers a wide range of eras, from art dating back to the early history of the human species, to the time of the great empires and civilizations, from world religions up to the modern age and the present day. These include works by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Jacques-Louis David, Vincent van Gogh, Manet, Monet and Piet Mondrian. The artworks are arranged according to the philosophy - The galleries in the museum are arranged chronologically, taking into account civilization, trade and religion. This way, different schools from the different parts of the world, existing in parallel, can be admired at the same time as differences can be made out.
Signpost in the Louvre | Photo: Flickr, Drunkar - CC BY-NC-SA 2.0A museum also for children
In addition to its permanent and temporary exhibitions, the Louvre Abu Dhabi has also created a dedicated building for children between the ages of six and twelve. On three floors, the youngest visitors can visit temporary as well as interactive exhibitions. At the moment, everything centers around emotions, including the activities: playing, listening, drawing and acting. Children can visit the museum for free, but only under the supervision of an adult, so a regular Louvre ticket must be purchased for the adult accompanying them.Culinary delicacies
There are two cafes, a lounge and a restaurant on the Louvre Abud Dhabi museum site, which are quite pricey. The Museum Café offers quickly prepared to-go snacks, delicious dishes and a children's menu from 10 am. Above the Museum Café is the Art Lounge, which is accessible from 2 pm. From this rooftop bar, one can enjoy the view of the Abu Dhabi skyline while munching on various snacks and sipping cocktails. With a boisterous atmosphere, cocktails and appetizers can be consumed at Marta Bar from noon onwards, access to Marta Bar is only available for guests aged 21+. Fouquet's Abu Dhabi is the Louvre's most elegant restaurant, serving upscale French cuisine and is one of Fouquet's restaurants recognized worldwide. Please note that Marta Bar and Fouquet's have a casual-chic dress code; in the evening, you should definitely avoid wearing a T-shirt and shorts. The Aptitude Café serves breakfast, hot food and delicious pastries with coffee starting at 9 am on the promenade.