The Louvre Abu Dhabi is an ambitious and breathtaking project of UAE. It was opened in November of 2017. It is the first universal museum in the Arab world exhibiting both ancient and contemporary collections of art and cultural items. We have already been there three times since its opening. I like the atmosphere there that gives you a chance to immerse yourself in the art and because of its architectural solutions you get a feeling that you are in a different space. I tried to capture this feeling in my photos.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi is built on a 27 square meters’ natural island called Saadiyat Island – the island of happiness.
Its masterful architectural design is made by architect Jean Nouvel. It is not one building, rather a museum city that covers a huge territory of nearly 64,000 square meters with a complex of buildings in different shapes and heights, two thirds of which are covered by a massive dome of 180 meters in diameter.
This dome that acts as a roof perforated to capture daylight without letting in too much sun. Pale colors and light reflection create a delicate feeling and constant interplay of light and shadows. And even though it is worth going and seeing the collection that it can offer, I would like to encourage to come there not only for this but also for the possibility to experience marvelous design on its own.
As you can see, it is not a copy of the French Louvre. I can say that it is not a replication of its namesake in Paris in any way. This museum is not overwhelming as French Louvre might be with scary endless queues and massiveness of art and people. Collections are way smaller in Louvre Abu Dhabi, but they are rich and presented in an attractive way of comparison or parallel.
If you have not been there yet, I would strongly recommend to plan a visit to Louvre Abu Dhabi. I promise, you are going to have one of a kind experience.
XO Ausra
