Louvre Abu Dhabi
A universal museum beneath a vast latticed dome that scatters a “rain of light” over the galleries.
Louvre Abu Dhabi opened in November 2017 on Saadiyat Island. It grew out of an agreement between the United Arab Emirates and France, and it calls itself the first universal museum in the Arab world. Rather than splitting its collection by country or culture, it tells one story of human creativity from prehistory to the present day.
The building was designed by Pritzker Prize winner Jean Nouvel. It is a cluster of low white gallery buildings arranged like a small Arab town and surrounded by the sea. Over them floats a huge dome about 180 metres wide, made of thousands of star-shaped openings set in eight layers. Sunlight passing through the lattice falls in moving patches, an effect known as the 'rain of light' and meant to recall the shade of palm fronds in an oasis.
The galleries follow a chronological route through the history of civilisations. Loans from major French museums sit alongside the museum's own growing collection, which includes Leonardo da Vinci's La Belle Ferronnière and ancient statues from 'Ain Ghazal in Jordan. There is also a Children's Museum, and each season brings international temporary exhibitions, talks, performances and events under the dome.
Highlights
- Jean Nouvel's floating lattice dome, about 180 m across
- The 'rain of light' effect filtering through thousands of layered stars
- Chronological galleries tracing human history across cultures
- Waterfront setting, with sea channels flowing beneath the dome
- Masterpieces including Leonardo da Vinci's La Belle Ferronnière
![Afrique occidentale française : Cathédrale à St Louis / [photogr. Eugène] Gallois ; [photogr. reprod. par Radiguet et Massiot pour la conférence donnée par] Gallois](https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Afrique_occidentale_fran%C3%A7aise_-_Cath%C3%A9drale_%C3%A0_St_Louis_-_%28photogr._Eug%C3%A8ne%29_Gallois_%3B_%28photogr._reprod._par_Radiguet_et_Massiot_pour_la_conf%C3%A9rence_donn%C3%A9e_par%29_Gallois_-_btv1b532798828.jpg/500px-thumbnail.jpg)
![[Golestan, Le Salon et Fete de l'equinode, Teheran, Iran (le Pavillion du Trone)]](https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/-Golestan%2C_Le_Salon_et_Fete_de_l%27equinode%2C_Teheran%2C_Iran_%28le_Pavillion_du_Trone%29-_MET_DP202918.jpg/500px--Golestan%2C_Le_Salon_et_Fete_de_l%27equinode%2C_Teheran%2C_Iran_%28le_Pavillion_du_Trone%29-_MET_DP202918.jpg)
![Théâtre de la guerre dans l'Inde sur la coste de Coromandel / par M.B.C.T. [Monsieur Bourcet Capitaine ?] ; gravé par Croisey](https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Fort_de_Calicuta_-_btv1b59706294.jpg/500px-Fort_de_Calicuta_-_btv1b59706294.jpg)
