ePaper
Subscribe
Newsletters
Search
Profile
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Vermeer
Adventures with Van Gogh
Russia-Ukraine war
Subscribe
ePaper
Newsletters
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Vermeer
Adventures with Van Gogh
Russia-Ukraine war

Louvre Abu Dhabi to open in November, sources say

The exact date has yet to be fixed, but the building is in the final phases of testing before art collection and loans are installed

By Vincent Noce
11 May 2017
Share

A decade after the €1bn contract was signed to create the Louvre Abu Dhabi, and following multiple construction delays, the museum should finally open this November, if everything goes according to plan. A date in the second half of the month has even been mentioned during talks between officials and the French museum and Emirate, but sources close to the project say this is only a “working date” depending on several technical and diplomatic factors, including the agenda of the new French president. The building’s construction is in the “final stages”, our sources confirm, insisting that the museum “will welcome visitors in 2017”.

An internal note was circulated at the Louvre last week calling on all departments to be ready by this summer to send the dozens of masterpieces promised under a loan programme to Abu Dhabi, including Leonardo’s Belle Ferronnière. A total of 300 works are expected from museums across France, to be shown along with part of the Emirati museum's own 700-strong collection.

Most of the construction work has been completed and a number of technical issues that arose—including the placement of the mesh-like 12,000-tonne, 180-metre-diameter cupola and sealing the building from the seawater the fills basins surrounding it—have been solved. Three thousand workers continue to labour round the clock to put the finishing touches on the building designed by the Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, but the museum has now entered the “preparation phase, that includes testing [the building's stability and security], before art installation”, our sources say.

The entire complex is now being thoroughly checked, and every minor fault, whether aesthetic or technical, must be fixed in the coming weeks. The final stamp of approval will be given by the technical and security services of the French national museums umbrella organisation. According to information given to The Art Newspaper, this visit is scheduled for June. Several weeks will then be needed to stabilise the atmosphere in the galleries before the art can be installed.

An official opening date is expected to be announced soon, but it will apparently fall sometime between Armistice Day on 11 November, the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix at the end of the month and the national holiday on 2 December marking the UAE’s union.

Emmanuel Macron’s election last week has also opened the way politically. The new president has promoted opening France to the world and a willingness to combat terrorism in the Middle East, and held his victory rally in Paris in the Louvre’s courtyard.

Share
Subscribe to The Art Newspaper’s digital newsletter for your daily digest of essential news, views and analysis from the international art world delivered directly to your inbox.
Newsletter sign-up
Information
About
Contact
Cookie policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions
Advertise
Sister Papers
Sponsorship policy
Follow us
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube
LinkedIn
© The Art Newspaper