Did you know that several works of art will rotate between Paris and Abu Dhabi in 6-month cycles? It is truly an incredible challenge for organization, logistics, security and protection of world cultural treasures.
1. Museum construction took 10 years
The Louvre Abu Dhabi Institute was founded as early as 2007. Due to technical and financial complexity, the museum completion deadline was postponed several times. Initial plans spoke of 2012, later 2015. Finally we had to wait until the end of 2017.
2. Fat bill
Project implementation costs were estimated at 1.2 billion EUR. The Abu Dhabi government had to commit to pay France for the 30-year license and use of the "Louvre" brand and name the sum of 450 million EUR.
3. City on water
The museum consists of a group of 13 separate buildings interspersed with water channels and decorative pools. Although at first glance they might resemble Italian Venice, it is a minimalist version of traditional coastal settlements in the Emirates known as "madinats" or "cities on water".
4. 620 exhibits
That is the total number of artifacts and works of art exhibited in the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum. Approximately 300 works are borrowed from thirteen French museums. Exactly 235 exhibits are owned by the Louvre Abu Dhabi Institute. The remaining exhibits are borrowed from private collections of wealthy collectors and sheikhs from the Emirates.
5. Famous names
The Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi is home to works of priceless value such as the portrait "La Belle Ferronniere" by Leonardo da Vinci or the artist's self-portrait Van Gogh and paintings whose authors are famous painters such as Dagas, Monet and Picasso.
6. Portrait of Napoleon in battle
Among the most valuable exhibits is also the portrait of Napoleon the Great on a white horse by painter Jacques-Louis David.
7. Phenomenal architect
The futuristic museum is the work of the famous French architect Jean Nouvel, who is the author of the famous Museum of Arab Culture in Paris, Institut du Monde Arabe. Jean Nouvel is the holder of the highest lifetime achievement award in Architecture - the Pritzker Prize.
8. Rain of light
The dominant feature of the entire complex is the steel dome - dome. Thanks to irregular patterns, the dome casts rays of sunlight into gallery spaces during the day, creating surreal patterns as if from another world. This rain of light and radiant points is as irregular and unpredictable as the stars in the sky and the universe itself. The dome is 180 m wide and weighs an incredible 7700 tons!
9. Own harbor
As we mentioned in the article, Louvre Abu Dhabi is a city literally built on water. There is no shortage of its own marina and harbor for private yachts and water taxis that will transport visitors even from Dubai.
