October 30, 2024

What to see at the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi

Works and useful information on the Arab world's first universal museum

Inaugurated in 2017 and already iconic. This is Louvre Abu Dhabi, the first universal museum in the Arab world that fosters a spirit of openness among cultures. Located in the heart of the Saadiyat cultural district on the island of Saadiyat, this haven for art lovers displays works of historical, cultural and sociological significance that range from ancient times to the present day. With its opening, Abu Dhabi’s art and culture scene gained new credibility on the world stage.

9,200 m² of gallery space, including the Permanent and Temporary Galleries, are enriched each season by works on loan from top French museums including the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay and the Centre Pompidou. Pieces that demonstrate how different civilisations have coexisted in the same space, and highlight similarities and exchange in a shared human experience that knows no limits of place or time.

Arising from an exceptional agreement between the governments of France and Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi was designed by Jean Nouvel. The building echoes traditional Islamic architecture, and its great dome, inspired by the classic domes of the Arab world, is a complex geometric structure consisting of 7,850 stars of different sizes set at different angles in eight layers. As the rays of sunshine filter through, geometric patterns create a beautiful play of light and shade, dubbed ‘shower of light’, on the floor. The dome also holds a message for visitors: Louvre Abu Dhabi celebrates universal human creativity and invites the public to see humanity in a new light.

The museum’s permanent collection is unequalled in the region and embraces millennia of human history, ranging from prehistoric tools and artefacts to religious texts, iconic paintings and contemporary artworks. This core is supplemented by loans on rotation from 19 French partner institutions and regional and international museums. “The idea is to represent a rhythm that’s shared and not necessarily chronological, but based on continuous dialogue between the various artworks. A dialogue that’s both formal and visual, which can present the past not as a fixed thing, but as something in constant relation and re-elaboration, like a laboratory that offers the opportunity to find points in common instead of divisions”, says Souraya Noujaim, director of science, curatorship and management at the museum. The desire to re-think the concept of universality is strong in the new paradigm of modern museums, which sees encyclopaedic collections as the product of a colonial and imperial past, not only in terms of provenance, but also due to their presentation of exhibits in a hierarchical classification. “For that very reason”, explains Manuel Rabaté, director of Louvre Abu Dhabi, “our task was to reinvent and reintroduce a vision of art and world history that would focus on dialogue rather than classify knowledge”. A strategy which would - in his view - allow the museum to speak to various communities, and which in itself reflects the spirit of the Arab Emirates, a country whose population is largely immigrants and foreigners in constant flux. Visiting the permanent collection, the formal expression of this strategy is evident: the three wings of the museum present more than 600 works and artefacts divided by theme, without geographical compartmentalisation. It all begins in the great vestibule, where - for example - a Chinese vase dialogues with a French casket and a pagoda from Oceania. This approach continues through the various sections, culminating in the wing that tells the story of faith, entitled Universal Religions. This area sets out to explore Buddhism, Christianity and Islam and their roles in the process of civilisation over the past 2000 years. Equally fascinating are the museum’s temporary exhibitions, which have featured highlights in universal art, from Leonardo da Vinci’s St John the Baptist to works by Michelangelo Pistoletto. Once again, past and present in close contact.

In 2024, alongside the permanent collection, there are some interesting exhibitions. Picturing the Cosmos, at the Louvre Abu Dhabi’s Children’s Museum until June 2025, takes youngsters on a journey in space through its representations in art.

Cartier, Islamic Inspiration and Modern Design (until 24 March) is organised in collaboration with the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, the Louvre Museum and France Muséums, with support from the Cartier maison. The exhibition highlights the influence of Islamic art on Cartier designs from the early 20th century to the present day. Co-curated by Évelyne Possémé, formerly head curator of ancient and modern jewellery at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, and Judith Hénon-Raynaud, curator and assistant director of the Islamic Art department at the Louvre, the exhibition will include over 500 items, from jewellery and masterpieces of Islamic art to drawings, books, photographs and archive documents.

Last but not least, Fables from East and West: from Kalila wa Dimna to the fables of La Fontaine, until 14 July 2024: the literary genre of animal fables, born in India and Greece in the 1st century BC, was continued by Ibn al-Muqaffa’ in the Arab-Islamic world and Aesop in Greece and Rome. Over the millennia, fables have constantly evolved and adapted from one language to another, giving rise to many new works in both East and West. Organised in partnership with the Bibliothèque Nationale de France and France Muséums, Fables from East and West examines the roots and evolution of the genre through a series of illustrated manuscripts, paintings, contemporary works and more.