Louvre Abu Dhabi

متحف اللوفر أبوظبي

Jean Nouvel's 'museum city on the sea', where light falls like rain through a huge perforated dome, displaying art that spans civilizations.

Louvre Abu Dhabi opened in 2017. It is the first overseas museum to be authorized by the French Louvre to use its name. It sits by the sea in the Saadiyat Island cultural district. Designed by Jean Nouvel, its silver dome is 180 meters in diameter and built from eight layers of interlaced metal star-shaped latticework. Sunlight filters through thousands of perforations, scattering spots of light known as the 'rain of light'. Beneath the dome stands a 'museum city' of 55 white buildings, with seawater flowing between them. The exhibition breaks with the tradition of arranging works by country. Instead, it follows a 'universal museum' theme, placing works from different civilizations of the same period side by side in chronological order. The collection ranges from prehistoric human figurines, ancient Egyptian and Chinese bronzes and Buddhist statues to masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci (La Belle Ferronnière, which often rotates with the Louvre in Paris), Van Gogh and Picasso. There is also a permanent French partner gallery with loaned works. Tickets cost about AED 63 (check the official website), and you can book online. You can also go kayaking under the dome. A taxi from the city centre takes about 20 minutes. The museum café faces the sea and is a good place to rest.

Louvre Abu Dhabi

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