One of the most sought out and newest tourist destinations in the UAE, which took almost ten years of development, is The Louvre Abu Dhabi. Opened in November and already witnessing huge number of visitors every day, this jaw-dropping museum will leave you in awe.

The Inception
Considering the compact size of the art museum, it is filled with masterpieces and ideal for spending a cultural afternoon out of the sun. The Louvre Abu Dhabi is the result of a thirty-year partnership between Abu Dhabi and the French government which began back in 2007. The Louvre Museum in Paris signed a $525 million agreement to enable the museum to use the “Louvre” name, and an additional $747 million in exchange for art loans and a helping hand with the ongoing management of the museum. According to its official website: the Louvre Abu Dhabi is a new cultural beacon, bringing different cultures together to shine fresh light on the shared stories of humanity.

Shedding light on the Arab World
The museum ‘represents the dynamic nature of the contemporary Arab world, while celebrating the region’s vibrant multicultural heritage.’ Its aim is to induce respect, curiosity, learning and self-reflection. If you’re a history or a museum buff or. we’re sure you will love the Louvre Abu Dhabi.

The Design
If the Louvre in Paris has its iconic Glass Pyramid structure and its building has an old world charm, The Louvre Abu Dhabi is the opposite. The contemporary structure and design is very impressive and that alone is already a magnificent work of art. Sooner rather later later, its metal dome will be recognized as an iconic piece of architecture. The museum is designed as a “seemingly floating dome structure”; its web-patterned dome allowing the sun to filter through. The overall effect is meant to represent “rays of sunlight passing through date palm fronds in an oasis.”
The total area of the museum is approximately 24,000 square meters (260,000 sq ft). The permanent collection occupies 6,000 square meters (65,000 sq ft), and the temporary exhibitions take over 2,000 square meters(22,000 sq ft).

The Collection
The Louvre Abu Dhabi first started sharing its collection with the public through an exhibition entitled “Talking Art: Louvre Abu Dhabi,” which opened in May 2009. The exhibition presented the first 19 acquisitions for the institution, including a Mamluk holy Koran from the 14th century, a 5th-century Fibula from Domagnano, a Virgin, and Child by Bellini, and Mondrian’s Composition with blue, red, yellow and black since 1922.A second exhibition, “Birth of a Museum”, opened in the exhibition space Manarat Al Saadiyat in May 2013, ending in August that year. The first large-scale preview of the collection, it featured 130 works acquired by the government of Abu Dhabi for the permanent collection. They included a never-before-seen work by Picasso, a Bronze Age terracotta statue from Cyprus, along with artifacts from Greece, Turkey, Japan and Syria

Getting there
The museum is closed on Mondays, and open 10am-8pm on Saturdays to Wednesdays, and 10am-10pm Thursdays and Fridays.The Louvre Abu Dhabi is located on Saadiyat Island in the Cultural District, so the easiest way to get to it is by driving or by taxi. There’s a large car park, and when you leave the Louvre there’s a taxi rank with loads of taxis all lining up, so you don’t need to worry about finding a taxi after.

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