The Louvre Abu Dhabi, the first re-creation of the Parisian landmark that was more than a decade in the making, opened its doors to the public on Saturday.
As waves of people from diverse nationalities — very few of them in kandoras in white cotton traditionally worn by Emirati men, or the black abayas, worn by women, but more wearing western-style suits and touristy casual wear — swished through the swanky premises, an awe-inspired hush prevailed along the dozen galleries of the brand-new museum, which thrust its low-rise aesthetic above the glisteningwaters of the Persian Gulf on a warm day.
A group of Emirati dancers presented a brisk performance of “Ayyalah” with the accompaniment of drums and bamboo stick work at the entrance lobby at the opening hour. Once inside, there was the occasional surprise performance in the galleries, choreographed by Lucinda Childs. The afternoon saw a fly-past of the Arabian-style dome of the museum building, by Etihad Airways. There were dragon dance performances, a Chinese parade of lions and dragons, and a show by Emirati composer and musician Faisal Al Safari.
Elite gathering
French President Emmanuel Macron had stood beside Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nayhan and Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on Wednesday as the museum was formally declared open. They were joined by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Moroccan King Mohammed VI.
In the three days since Wednesday, before the public stepped in on Saturday, the museum was open to groups of special invitees, including the Emirates’ movers and shakers.
The project had initially set off criticism in France, where concerns over the ‘sale’ of a French name to an Arab state raised some eyebrows. In a quid pro quo , a centre at the Paris Louvre now bears the name of the late UAE President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
The museum today has artworks from Europe, Africa and Asia — including several from India, most notably Mughal miniatures, and a statue of Hindu goddess Durga in granite from the period of the Cholas, dated 1100-1300. It has been loaned to the Louvre by the Musee National des arts asiatiques - Guimet.
Mughal painting
Another prominently displayed exhibit from India is an oil on canvas, huge in size, that is captioned ‘Shuja’al Duala, Vice-Roy of the Mughal Empire, and his son.’ It’s indicated as Faizabad, 1772. This has been loaned to the Louvre by Musee National des chateaux de Versailles et de Trianon.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi has some 300 pieces on loan, including an 1887 self-portrait by Vincent van Gogh and Leonardo da Vinci’s La Belle Ferronniere . The Da Vinci alone, among all the works and artefacts on show, had a sturdy, uniformed guard standing sternly next to it, as the orderly crowds walked by amid lots of photo flashes.
Also displayed are more than 235 works from the UAE’s own collection, including Edouard Manet’s The Gypsy and those by Dutch abstract artist Piet Mondrian and Turkey’s Osman Hamdi Bey.’Each exhibit is clearly marked out by labels explaining its significance and provenance, in three languages, English, Arabic and French. Also indicated is their ownership status, as a number of them are loaned to the museum for specific periods.
The display offers a brief history of the world and its major religions, including Judaism, although the UAE does not recognise Israel. Among the exhibits are an early-era Koran, a Gothic Bible and a Yemenite Torah, open at verses carrying the same message.
For the oil-rich Emirate, the goal of this extraordinary effort is evidently to transcend oil in the longer term and build a wholly different portfolio of investments.
The museum is located on the sandy island of Saadiyat — translated from the Arabic it means ‘island of happiness — just off the Abu Dhabi harbour and a 20-minute drive from city centre. On some 10% of the island, a ‘culture district’ that is in the making is expected to eventually feature a Guggenheim Museum and the Zayed National Museum. Work on both remains in the early stages.
During its construction, the Louvre Abu Dhabi had faced flak over labour conditions, as expatriate workers, including from India, toiled in the brutal heat.
But in the end, the new Louvre is without doubt a labour of love.
