On our Radar: art and architecture at Louvre Abu Dhabi

After a lengthy wait – 10 years, to be exact – Louvre Abu Dhabi is preparing to open its doors.

The “museum city”, which opens on November 11, is the result of a close partnership between the capital of the United Arab Emirates and the Paris Louvre.

Designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, the vast structure is inspired by Abu Dhabi’s landscape, climate and geography. Atop the gallery sits a vast dome, fashioned from steel and weighing as much as the Eiffel Tower.

The web-like ceiling is reminiscent of the interlaced palm leaves of traditional Emirati roofs and comprises almost 8,000 unique metal stars.

When sunlight filters through, patterns of moving light dance along the Louvre’s interior and across the water the building floats on, creating an effect that’s been dubbed ‘Rain of Light’.

“It’s like being in a moving painting,” said Louvre Abu Dhabi’s French director Manuel Rabate at a
recent launch event. The sense of poetry extends to the museum’s collection, which Rabate explained spans “millennia and civilisations” and includes more than 600 pieces of art across 23 galleries.

Alongside the permanent collection, more than 300 masterpieces will be loaned from various French galleries, rotating throughout the year.

The collection also covers a vast historical period, with visitors brought right up to the present day in the final galleries.

Hissa Al Dhaheri, the museum’s deputy art director, said Louvre Abu Dhabi’s atmosphere will combat the notion of “boring museums”.

As well as housing its own Children’s Museum, there’ll be regular live music performances, discussions, debates and interactive workshops.

A wider strategy to enhance the cultural offering in Abu Dhabi, with a focus on Saadiyat Island as the new artistic hub. As well as Louvre Abu Dhabi, the island will welcome the Zayed National Museum and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi which, once built, will be the largest Guggenheim
in the world.

Entry to Louvre Abu Dhabi is £12, while children under 13 go free. Pre-organised tours for groups and individuals can also be booked. An online booking portal for the trade, where agents can purchase tickets and gain added benefits, will also launch later this month.

In the case of Louvre Abu Dhabi, it seems that good things really do come to those who wait.