The hotly anticipated Louvre Abu Dhabi museum is set to become a place of pilgrimage for aficionados of architecture and art. It is a milestone in the development of museology.
Abu Dhabi has been named the second-best city in the world to live, work and do business in, overtaking both London and Paris and moving up two places since the last Ipsos City Index.
It is ranked highest among participants from the three younger generations – Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z – which were all consistent in placing New York and Abu Dhabi as their top two cities.
2016 was a record-breaking year for Abu Dhabi in terms of visitor numbers, with an estimated 2.2 million visits made for business travel purposes, growth is expected to hit 3 million business visitors by 2021.
With this in mind, there is yet another compelling new reason to visit, be it for work or play. On 11 November 2017, the waterfront Louvre Abu Dhabi officially opened its doors on Saadiyat.
Pritzker Prize-winning French architect Jean Nouvel has designed a museum city under a vast silvery dome. Visitors can walk through the promenades overlooking the sea beneath the museum’s 180-metre dome, comprised of almost 8,000 unique metal stars set in a complex geometric pattern. When sunlight filters through, it creates a moving ‘rain of light’ beneath the dome. After dark, it glows like a Moroccan filigree lantern: a dazzling visual metaphor for enlightenment.
It is the first branch of the Louvre to open outside of France. The permanent collection is complemented by approximately 300 masterpieces on loan from key French institutions, including works by da Vinci, Rodin, Monet, Van Gogh and Matisse. In addition to the galleries, the complex will include a Children Museum, exhibitions, a restaurant, a boutique and a café.
Additionally, there will be four temporary exhibitions throughout the year, including one based on the Louvre in Paris -’ From one Louvre to Another’ opens on 21 December 2017.
Contact your Insignia Personal Assistant for further details.
