The Louvre Abu Dhabi is one project that many have anticipated for a long time. Since it was announced in 2007, the Louvre Abu Dhabi, designed by architect Jean Nouvel, has had a lot of delayed opening dates. It was originally scheduled to open on 2012, but that date was pushed back to 2013 by the company in charge due to a few unanticipated issues. The world had to wait a further two years after the new date was once again delayed and 2015 was announced as the new date for the grand opening.
Still, to no avail.
However, all that waiting has finally been put to rest as the magnificent structure (actually a museum, mind you) is set to be opened on the 11th of November.
The architect Jean Nouvel was put in charge of the design and architectural evaluation of the beautiful domed building on the Saadiyat Island and chose to have it erected in a cultural district that is located just off the coast of the capital of the United Arab Emirates. This brilliant location perfectly highlighted its surrounding water, and the promenades overlooking the sea are an added advantage as well.
All of the museum’s displays, both from their original collection and loans, will showcase various stages of human, artistic, and environmental development, right from the ancient times to the modern. For instance, the museum will be showcasing a Bactrian princess (which was created in Asia and which has been said to have originated from the end of the 3rd millennium B.C.) along with an Ottoman turban helmet, “Children Wrestling” (by Paul Gauguin in 1888) and a monumental work done by Ai Weiwei in 1957.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi will also be showcasing a few site-specific outdoor works, among which will be three engraved stone walls, created by Jenny Holzer; an American artist.
On the 21st of December, there will be a special inaugural exhibition tagged “From One Louvre to Another,” and based on its description, there will be a major emphasis on the history of Musée du Louvre in Paris, from the royal collections located at the Castle of Versailles under King Louis XIV to the creation of the modern museum as we know it .
The Louvre has signed an agreement and has consented to the Abi Dhabi Museum borrowing its name for a period of 30 and a half years, as well as a few of its temporary exhibitions (for 15 years) and a wide array of its artworks (for a full decade).
The opening of the Louvre Abu Dhabi marks a new beginning for art and history in the United Arab Emirates and has been met by waves of excitement from locals as well.
Official Louvre Abu Dhabi website http://www.louvreabudhabi.ae
