A Short Guide To The Louvre Museum, Abu Dhabi
The Louvre Museum, an enormous museum, which is among the biggest in the world, is built like a floating dome. The sun can flow through the web-patterned dome, producing an overall effect that is designed to resemble “rays of sunlight passing between date palm fronds in an oasis.” As well as shielding visitors, artwork, and artefacts from the corrosive maritime environment, the building’s watertight basement and tidal pools inside the galleries offer the impression of being a “museum in the sea.” It will take you around two hours to complete even the most basic tour of the spectacular museum. But given your propensity to linger and study the many works of art. To fully experience everything the museum has to offer, we suggest setting aside at least 4 hours.
More Details about the Magnificent Museum
Louvre Abu Dhabi is an art and civilization museum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is situated in the Saadiyat Island Cultural District. It is the largest art museum in the Arabian Peninsula with a 24,000 square meter interior and more than 8,000 square meters of spectacular galleries.
This significant and renowned gallery, created by Pritzker-winning architect Jean Nouvel, is worthwhile to see for both the structure and its exhibits. In an effort to bridge the gap between Western and Eastern art, the museum displays works of art from all around the world.
The Louvre is a US$27 billion tourist and cultural development complex on Saadiyat Island and is a 30-year cooperative venture between the governments of France and Abu Dhabi. The city of Abu Dhabi spent a stunning $525 million to be connected with the Louvre name, it should be mentioned. There are at least 35,000 paintings and other pieces of art in the collection.
Main Artworks
The museum’s gallery features a wonderful variety of artwork, including:
Monumental statue with two heads
This statue was uncovered in Ain Ghazal, Jordan, and it is one of the first large-scale depictions of the human figure, dating back to 6,500 BCE. One of the earliest statues that have ever existed is this one.
Self Portrait
It is believed that Vincent van Gogh, the self-portraitist with the most works—more than 30—drew himself in this work in 1887, France.
Children’s Wrestling
Children grappling are shown in this 1888 oil on canvas artwork by Paul Gauguin. It exhibits the results of a style of Japanese art known as Japonisme.
Latin translation of the Treatise on Optics (Kitab Al Manazir)
Ibn Al Haytham was an Egyptian mathematician, physicist, astronomer, and author. This book is a compendium of his discoveries, which had a significant impact on the advancement of modern science.
Astrolabe
This navigational equipment for the high seas is composed of cast brass and silver nails and is used to tell time and determine geographic position by determining the position and altitude of stars.
Young Emir Studying
This artwork was created in 1878 by Istanbul, Turkey’s Osman Hamdy Bey. It shows reflection and learning taking place amidst subtle Oriental textiles.
Composition with Blue, Red, Yellow and Black
The 1922 French oil on canvas artwork by Piet Mondrian illustrates neoplasticism, a novel style of abstraction based only on lines and primary colours. The proverb “Art is greater than reality and has no direct reference to reality” is attributed to him.
Ramses II Pharaoh of Egypt statue
The pharaoh’s reign, which lasted from 1279 to 1213 BCE, is shown in the 2.5-meter statue of Ramses II seated on his throne.
Mari-Cha lion
One of the most significant Islamic pieces of art from the Mediterranean region is this bronze statue (Southern Spain or southern Italy 1000-1200 BCE).
Salt cellar with Portuguese soldiers and a caravel (ship)
A well-carved ivory object with embellishments modelled after European engravings. It originates from the Edo civilization of Nigeria, an ancient Benin kingdom that dates back to 1600 BCE. It serves as an illustration of how Portugal and historic African kingdoms exchanged cultural ideas.
How To Get There
There are 4 routes you can take to get to the Abu Dhabi Louvre, as follows: car, taxi, bus, or metro bus.
From Abu Dhabi Bus Station, riders join the metro 094line buses that travel to the Louvre Abu Dhabi. The trip by line bus costs AED 2 and takes 34 minutes, including transfers. You must take a direct bus from Abu Dhabi Bus Station to Abu Dhabi – Saadiyat Louvre in order to go to the museum using a regular bus. Every day of the week, services run with departures every 30 minutes. It takes about 30 minutes to travel. However, self-driving the 12 minutes from Abu Dhabi Bus Station to Louvre Abu Dhabi is the most affordable and efficient option.
Saadiyat Island is just a 20 minutes drive from Yas Island which is also a well visited location in Abu Dhabi. Yas Island has amazing theme parks and other activities such as the Yas Mall, Ferrari World, Warner Bros World, Yas Water World, Clymb and the famous Yas Marina Circuit.
How Much Does The Visit Cost?
The cost of entrance to the Louvre Abu Dhabi is AED 31–63 for adults, AED 31 for young adults (ages 13–22), and AED 65 for seniors. Children under 13 with disabilities are welcome to visit the museum without charge. Since the Louvre Abu Dhabi can get busy, it is advised to reserve e-tickets in advance to ensure your place.
Louvre Abu Dhabi is open as highlighted below:
Monday | Closed |
Tuesday | 10:00 am to 8:00 pm |
Wednesday | 10:00 am to 8:00 pm |
Thursday | 10:00 am to 10:00 pm |
Friday | 10:00 am to 10:00 pm |
Saturday | 10:00 am to 8:00 pm |
Sunday | 10:00 am to 8:00 pm |
Have you visited this magnificent museum before? What artworks attracted your attention the most? Is it on our list or would you like to add more? Tell us about it in the comment section below.
If you have not visited, make sure to plan a visit soon. It is a beautiful opportunity that should not be missed!