Louvre Abu Dhabi

In the year 2015, Le Louvre Abu Dhabi was established as a museum of universal art project which is due to the innovative kind of the collaboration of the culture between two countries which is France and United Arab Emirates. The approval of the museum was given by the French Parliament on 9th October, 2007. The Louvre museum is a cultural and art museum which is located in the city of Abu Dhabi at United Arab Emirates. This museum was inaugurated in the year 2017, November 8, by the French President Emmanuel Macron and Vice President of United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and by Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is the crown prince of Abu Dhabi. The artworks from all over the globe are showcased in this museum having a particular focus on establishing the bridge between the Western and Eastern art (Louvre Abu Dhabi 2019). The aim and objective was stated so as to establish a new national institution through the development of culture, tourism, art, education and the services. In the year 2007, March 6, this agreement was signed between France and United Arab Emirate. Hence, the new Louvre was made into franchise and had been brought to Abu Dhabi. There is a thirty year deal which is amount € 1 billion which includes the assistance from the French Louvre with the management of the exhibition, providing art works and advisory to the franchise of the Middle East. The architecture of this museum is very mesmerizing which is designed as a seemingly structure which has a dome kind of formation. The dome which is kind of a web patterned allows the rays of the sun to pass in. In the new museum, there is a permanent collection of six hundred artworks, including three hundred loans taken from twelve French institutions (Louvre.fr 2019). The French website of Le Louvre Museum, Le Louvre Abu Dhabi is shown as a worldwide project. The goal of the Le Louvre Abu Dhabi is shown as the formation of a new important museum with its very own collection and finally becoming a solo player in the platform of the world museum. Louvre will be an independent institution which will reflect the ages and the local traditions of the country as it is notified that the future museum that will not be a replica of the French Louvre. Hence, from the French part, it thrives on the creation of the new institution that is based on the expertise and French access. The other view point is that the dominating Western museums like the Louvre (1793) and the British (1753) portrays the civilized nation of Europe through the displaying of the canon of the Europe for its cultural benefits from Greece and Rome till date. The museum powers are related with the identity of the nationals and also to the desire of the proliferation of the museums that is due to the newly budding and developing countries (ArchDaily 2019). Now, if we take into account that the Emirates aims to create a national identity and again France which wants to franchise the museum as brand, so these statements become sensible. According to the architectural point of view, the museum is designed by Jean Nouvel, who is a French architect, Le Louvre Abu Dhabi is considered to be the architectural masterpiece which is designed as to offer the visitors on a high impact of the experience of the architecture and museum that forms dialogue among the cultures. Andrew McClellan in his article Museum Expansion in the Twenty-First Century: Abu Dhabi states the statement of Frank Gehry who is the designer of Guggenheim, Abu Dhabi that the approach that has been made to design the museum in the Abu Dhabi had made the possibility to design museum located in United Kingdom or United States. So, this approach can also be applicable for the Louvre too (ArchDaily 2019). In the year 2012, the Louvre started collecting photography paving its way to the work of Roger Fenton, Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey and George Wilson Bridges. In the year 2017, Louvre decided to display Leonardo Da Vinci’s artwork Salvador Mundi, and other works by Claude Monet, Henri Matisee, etc. The chances for the designers help in building the museum with the lump sum amount of budget without any limit, in such a viewpoint that they might not get any chance to form anywhere in Europe or in United States of America. On the other hand, it can be said that the money and space have allowed them to do what any other city won’t do. To mention about the Bilbao effect of Le Louvre Abu Dhabi that is also recognized as a cultural hub in the area consisting of new museums that will generate the facility of the tourism, housing markets and local businesses. The museums also seek to establish or to expand the cities as the cultural destinations (Louvre.fr 2019). Obviously, we need to consider that Abu Dhabi is the tourist spot for the visitors and a point of attraction. The United Arab Emirates is considered to be one of the outgrowing industries of tourism across the globe. In the year 2008, the United Arab Emirates raked the highest among the countries in terms of the investment of the government in the framework of tourism. By the year 2020, the investment in the regional tourism is estimated to be at top with $ 3.6 million. And by the year 2030, Abu Dhabi is hoping to be one of the top five most visited cities all across the globe. In such a city, museums like Louvre function as a tourist attraction having the possibility of the higher attendance. On the other hand, for example France creates a separate unit in Abu Dhabi that will provide a variant number of audiences (Louvre.fr 2019). The local people of United Arab Emirates can be considered as a new audience excluding the tourists. This would be the objective of the French Louvre Museum to expand its own towards the formation of the worldwide space and to attain the diverse audience from all around the globe. France has already taken the inspiration through the export of the cultural heritage and started renting the national collections prior to Abu Dhabi. In the year 2006, the first branch of Le Louvre opened in Atlanta, Georgia in exchange for thirteen million euros which it had loaned from its artworks for a period of 3 years. It is very significant to note that the International Council of Museums Code of Ethics which states that museums are created without considering any sort of profit making business out from it, as the collections of the museum are created on the grounds of the society which cannot be treated as financial assets. It is very difficult to think that having seven million visitors a year; Le Louvre is not earning enough revenue to continue itself in the market (Louvre.fr 2019). The museum in Abu Dhabi is not a replica of the French Louvre, it is basically an individual institution which offers its own knowledge of interpretation of the global museum while having a reflection of its own age and the local traditions of the country where it is located in. The collection of the museum consists of the loan that is taken out from French institution which is done in the order of the rotation on the basis of ten year. The uniqueness of the Louvre, Abu Dhabi is based on the vision of the creation of art. Traditionally, the museum organizes their collections from through the school, elements and tactics.  We also need to think about the art of the economy of the market where the present domination is all by the contemporary art (Louvre.fr 2019). The French section is that the Abu Museum is possibly the main point to the long term strategy for the creation of the sustainable economy in shaping the economy, tourism and culture. The approach of French on the Louvre can be set as an example in creating the sense of the universal project through the embracing of the several and different cultures which is through the abandonment of the concept that a museum is tied to a specific area. Le Louvre museum shares its national to bridge the cultural gaps between two nations. It is very usual to think about the risks those can take place in the future so as to franchise the cultural institution of the nation. It is important to ask ourselves that whether it helps in the cultivation of the huge cultural understanding for the people or not. But it can be determined as the aim of profit rather than determining it for the benefit of the public. Jacques Chirac who is the president of the French Republic stated about Louvre, Abu Dhabi:

By choosing the Louvre, the emirate of Abu Dhabi not only sealed a partnership with the world’s most visited and well-known museum, but selected one which, from its very incept, had a vocation to reach out to the world, to the essence of mankind, through the contemplation of works of art.

Reference:

Louvre Abu Dhabi – See Humanity in a new light. Louvre Abu Dhabi (2019). Louvre Abu Dhabi – See Humanity in a new light. [online] Available at: https://www.louvreabudhabi.ae/ [Accessed 1 Jul. 2019].

Louvre.fr. (2019). The Louvre Abu Dhabi | Louvre Museum | Paris. [online] Available at: https://www.louvre.fr/en/louvre-abu-dhabi [Accessed 1 Jul. 2019].

ArchDaily. (2019). Louvre Abu Dhabi / Ateliers Jean Nouvel. [online] Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/883157/louvre-abu-dhabi-atelier-jean-nouvel [Accessed 1 Jul. 2019].

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