The great metal dome of the Arab Louvre in Abu Dhabi covers the Arabian Peninsula’s largest art museum. The patterns of the ceiling are designed to resemble date palm leaves or stars. Architect Jean Nouvel used special software to estimate the amount of light that should enter through the openings. Interestingly, the dome weighs almost as much as the construction of the Eiffel Tower. The collection of more than 600 exhibits includes ancient artefacts, Arabic art and famous European paintings. The entire site is located on an island and the museum seems to drift on the turquoise waters of the Persian Gulf.
Louvre under licence
The museum is part of an ambitious plan to create a new Abu Dhabi cultural district on the empty island of Saadiyat. Since 2005. The Arabs have been in talks with France about helping to supply the new museums. President Jacques Chirac supported the project, but it was his successor Nicholas Sarkozy who ratified an agreement allowing the Emirates to use the name ‘Louvre’ in relation to the new project. This name will be used until the agreement expires in 2047. Interestingly, the initiative had many opponents, including several ministers and the director of the Paris Louvre himself.
In 2006. Arabs selected the architect for the project – Frenchman Jean Nouvel, whose portfolio includes the design of the Paris Institute of the Arab World, the Paris Philharmonic and several museums. Initially, the project was intended to be a simple museum building, but the architect’s vision evolved into a phenomenal edifice with an area of 24,000 square metres. The modern look is no accident, however, as it is an interpretation of classical Arabic architecture.
Steel stars
Rising 36 m, the silver dome appears to float above a white base. More than 7,850 starry elements form a weave of ‘branches’ through which just the right amount of sunlight enters. The architects used computer programmes to simulate the weather conditions and strength of the structure. The geometric patterns were designed to attract attention. It is worth mentioning that the structure, which weighs 7,500 tonnes, is made up of eight layers of steel and aluminium, and the dome creates a microclimate conducive to storing works of art.
The appearance of the dome mimics the traditional Arab mastrabiyah, a wooden truss covering the windows. It is worth noting that the way the light pierces the 180-metre-wide dome is meant to allude to the hollow leaves of the date palm tree. There are, of course, many more such references. The white walls of the base are arranged in low cuboid blocks reminiscent of the compact buildings of Arab cities. The tight spaces between the blocks form the streets of the ‘city’. There are 55 such buildings in total, and the most important place in the museum is the central square. This in turn is a reference to the sukuk, or traditional marketplace.
The innovation of the dome lies mainly in the reduction of lighting, ventilation and air conditioning costs. The surrounding water also contributes to lowering the temperature inside. What’s more, the waves flow under the dome, making the museum accessible by boat. On top of all this, the rays of the hot sun are reflected by the white stone façade. Such solutions have earned the museum numerous certifications, including LEED Silver energy certification.
Lost Da Vinci
A number of works from Parisian museums can be found inside. Interestingly, the French Minister of Culture has announced that the museums will not be selling the works currently on display to Abu Dhabi. Nevertheless, the collection contains outstanding works of painting and sculpture. The Arab Louvre holds paintings by artists such as Paul Gaugin, René Magritte, Vincent Van Gogh and Édouard Manet. In contrast, the group of famous paintings kept in Abu Dhabi include: The Tower of Babel by A. Grimmer, Napoleon crossing the St Bernard Pass by J.L. David or Salvator Mundi by L. Da Vinci. The latter painting was “lost” somewhere in the museum’s storerooms for some time, but after some time it was “found” on the yacht of Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad ibn Salman.
The museum opened in 2017 and was meant to be a bridge for dialogue between East and West. For France, it was a step towards closer ties with the distant Arab world. However, the French academic and cultural community strongly opposed the ‘borrowing’ of works from Paris museums. In their view, cultural heritage is not for sale and the Louvre cannot behave like a business.
Despite the controversy, the Louvre in Abu Dhabi is a stunning and innovative building transferring classic Arab architecture to modern architecture. All elements of the museum are incredibly photogenic and the appearance of the building depends on the perspective of the onlooker. What’s more, the massive steel dome could, in time, become as much of an architectural icon as the glass pyramid of I. M. Peia standing in front of the original Louvre. In the decades to come, Saadiyat Island will become a key concentration of museums worldwide. In addition to the Louvre, a new Guggenheim museum, the Zayed National Museum and many others are to be built in Abu Dhabi.
Source: Louvre Abu Dhabi
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