As attention focuses on a high-profile heist at the Louvre in Paris, Louvre Abu Dhabi is marking eight years since its opening with a planned late-night celebration.
Why It Matters
Hailed by French President Emmanuel Macron as a bridge between civilizations, Louvre Abu Dhabi has welcomed millions of visitors since opening in 2017, showcased more than 600 artworks from around the world and hosted exhibitions in collaboration with international institutions.
What To Know
In 2007, an agreement between France and the United Arab Emirates set the project in motion. Jean Nouvel, an award-winning French architect, designed the museum—blending modern architecture with Arabic design elements.
The museum’s dome, made of over 7,800 star-shaped panels, creates a “rain of light” effect, letting sunlight filter through in a lattice pattern across the galleries, according to Architectural Digest’s online platform.
Louvre Abu Dhabi’s collection spans civilizations and eras, featuring ancient Egyptian artifacts, Mesopotamian and Persian objects, Greek and Roman sculptures, Islamic manuscripts and ceramics, Asian Buddhist and Indian artworks, and European paintings and sculptures from the Renaissance to the 19th century, with about 300 pieces on loan from French museums supplementing its collection.
Louvre Abu Dhabi announced in March 2024 that it had surpassed 5 million visitors since its grand opening in 2017.
For its 2025‑26 season, Louvre Abu Dhabi plans to present exhibitions on the medieval Mamluk sultanate, contemporary artists from the region and Japan, and Picasso—the latter in collaboration with Musée National Picasso‑Paris.
Meanwhile, French authorities in Paris are investigating and interrogating suspects after a group of intruders took less than eight minutes to steal eight pieces of the French crown jewels, valued at roughly $102 million, on October 19.
What People Are Saying
Manuel Rabaté, the director of Louvre Abu Dhabi, said in May, according to the Abu Dhabi Media Office: “This season, we are proud to present a compelling dialogue between Eastern and Western artistic traditions, showcasing masterpieces that celebrate cultural heritage and innovation. Through these exhibitions, we reaffirm the museum’s role as a space for meaningful exchange, fostering a deeper appreciation of artistic expression across different cultures and time periods.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said in a speech during the museum’s inauguration in 2017, translated from French: “That this museum has emerged in Abu Dhabi holds great significance for France; today you are at the epicenter of a world whose globalization is accelerating. You are the neural point where the Western and Eastern worlds meet. You are oriented as much toward Europe as toward the Arab world, India, and China. You hold this point of balance between the European, African, and Asian continents.”
Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov wrote on X on October 21: “Not at all surprised by the Louvre heist. It’s another sad sign of the decline of a once great country—where the government has perfected the art of distracting people with phantom threats instead of confronting the real ones.”
He added: “Happy to buy the stolen jewelry and donate it back to the Louvre. I mean Louvre Abu Dhabi, of course; no one steals from Louvre Abu Dhabi.”
What Happens Next
Louvre Abu Dhabi is scheduled to host a late-night “Night at the Museum” event on November 7.