UAE royals tour Louvre Abu Dhabi ahead of November opening
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, visited the Louvre Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island on Monday, reported Arabian Business.
They viewed the museum's art installations in preparation for its official opening on November 11, state news agency WAM reported.
To date, the museum has acquired more than 620 works of art, including important artworks on loan from 13 leading museums in France, it said.
During the tour, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed were briefed on a number of art works, including an ancient statue of the Sphinx dating back to the 6th century BC, and the bust of Alexander the Great on loan from the Louvre Museum in Paris.
They were also acquainted with Louvre Abu Dhabi’s first site-specific works, installed in the outdoor areas by renowned contemporary artists, including Jenny Holzer (1950 -) who created three engraved stone walls named For Louvre Abu Dhabi, 2017.
Louvre Abu Dhabi was designed by the Pritzker Prize winning French architect, Jean Nouvel, who envisioned a museum city, or Arab medina, under a vast silvery dome.
Visitors will be able to walk along promenades overlooking the sea beneath the museum’s 180-metre dome, comprised of almost 8,000 unique metal stars set in a complex geometric pattern. When sunlight filters through, it creates a moving ‘rain of light’ beneath the dome, reminiscent of the overlapping palm trees in the UAE’s oases.
In addition to the galleries, the museum will include exhibitions, a children’s museum, a restaurant, a boutique and a cafe.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi will showcase its own art collection and other works of art on loan from one of France's oldest museums.
The museum was built in accordance with an intergovernmental agreement signed between the UAE and France in 2007, that includes the loan of the Musee du Louvre’s name for 30 years and six months, temporary exhibitions for 15 years, and loans of artworks for 10 years.