{"id":344669,"date":"2026-03-13T19:16:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T19:16:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/344669\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T19:16:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T19:16:16","slug":"manuel-rabate-on-leaving-louvre-abu-dhabi-after-a-transformative-decade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/344669\/","title":{"rendered":"Manuel Rabate on leaving Louvre Abu Dhabi after a transformative decade"},"content":{"rendered":"

Manuel Rabate is not ready to say goodbye just yet. For close to a decade, he has overseen Louvre Abu Dhabi<\/a> from its earliest preparations to its emergence as one of the region\u2019s defining cultural institutions. Now he is preparing for a new chapter, carrying forward a philosophy shaped by his years in the UAE.<\/p>\n

The French museum head, who has led the institution since its opening in 2017, is stepping down<\/a> to become director and chief executive of the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in New Delhi. The move brings to a close a period that has shaped both his professional life and the cultural landscape of Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s actually the closure of 18 years of my life,\u201d Rabate says. In 2008, he began working on Louvre Abu Dhabi project in Paris as head of Agence France-Museums, the organisation created to realise the landmark partnership between France and the UAE. In 2014, he moved to Abu Dhabi with his family to prepare for the museum\u2019s opening. Two years later, he officially became director.<\/p>\n

On a personal level, Abu Dhabi has become Rabate\u2019s home, the city where two of his daughters were born and a multitude of friendships formed. He learnt Arabic \u2013 an ongoing project \u2013 and embraced Emirati and Arab culture. The project also reshaped his understanding of the place it was built to serve and rewired him in ways he is still discovering. \u201cI touched the soul of this country,\u201d he says. \u201cI came here as a professional working on a museum project. But when you live here, when your children grow up here, when you experience the diversity of people who call this place home, it changes you.\u201d<\/p>\n

His tenure also coincided with the city\u2019s emergence as a global cultural destination, with Louvre Abu Dhabi opening as the first completed museum in the still-growing and uniquely placed Saadiyat Cultural District<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When the museum opened beneath French architect Jean Nouvel\u2019s vast dome, it represented something unprecedented: a global museum in the Arab world organised around the idea of a \u201cconnected history of art\u201d, where objects from different cultures appear side by side, rather than separated by geography.<\/p>\n

For Rabate, in retrospect, that approach was inevitable. \u201cThe name of the museum is Louvre Abu Dhabi,\u201d he says. \u201cWith that name come two very demanding promises. One is the Louvre, one of the most famous museums in the world. The other is Abu Dhabi, a capital of the Arab world and a hub where people from many cultures meet.\u201d<\/p>\n

The idea has resonated with audiences. Last year, the site welcomed about 1.4 million visitors, placing it among the most visited museums in the Middle East and confirming its position as one of the UAE\u2019s most prominent cultural landmarks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea is a connected history of art,\u201d Rabate says. \u201cIt crosses more than 10,000 years of history through objects. But to reach that simplicity took nearly a decade of work between the teams.\u201d<\/p>\n

In its early days, many of those objects came from loans provided by partner institutions in France, including the Louvre, Musee d\u2019Orsay and Centre Pompidou. Masterpieces such as Leonardo da Vinci\u2019s La Belle Ferronniere, Jacques-Louis David\u2019s Napoleon Crossing the Alps and works by Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh helped introduce the museum to international audiences.<\/p>\n

Since then, the balance has shifted steadily as Abu Dhabi has built its own permanent collection. \u201cWhen we opened, about 60 or 70 per cent of the galleries relied on loans from French museums,\u201d Rabate explains. \u201cThirty or 40 per cent came from the Abu Dhabi collection. Today, the Abu Dhabi collection is strong enough to structure the narrative itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Acquisitions have ranged from ancient artefacts and Islamic manuscripts to modern paintings and contemporary works. At the same time, Louvre Abu Dhabi has expanded partnerships with institutions beyond France, bringing objects from their countries of origin directly to the UAE capital.<\/p>\n

Rabate refers to these as \u201cambassador objects\u201d \u2013 works that travel temporarily to participate in the museum\u2019s global narrative. \u201cThis is something we wanted to create here,\u201d he says. \u201cObjects coming directly from different cultures and presented together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alongside the permanent galleries, Louvre Abu Dhabi\u2019s exhibition programme has played a central role in defining its identity. Early shows explored subjects such as trade routes across Arabia, and the exchange of artistic ideas between East and West. <\/p>\n

Later exhibitions brought works by artists including Rembrandt, Monet and Jackson Pollock to audiences in the UAE.<\/p>\n

More recent projects have pushed that dialogue further. Rabate points to the museum\u2019s current exhibition \u2013 Picasso, the Figure \u2013 as an example of how the institution approaches art history. \u201cThis Picasso exhibition is one of the archetypes of what we wanted to achieve,\u201d he says. \u201cYou can explore Picasso\u2019s creative process and the historical layers of his work. But because we are Louvre Abu Dhabi, we also show the roots that inspired him \u2013 African art, Oceanic art, Greek and Roman works. And then the connections with the Arab world as well. This mix is definitely Louvre Abu Dhabi DNA.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond exhibitions, the museum has also experimented with new ways of engaging visitors through technology \u2013 from virtual reality experiences to digital tools that allow audiences to explore artworks in greater depth.<\/p>\n

But Rabate sees a museum\u2019s purpose as extending beyond the objects themselves. \u201cA museum is like a small city,\u201d he says. \u201cYou have curators, conservators, educators, security teams, technicians, marketers. All these professions work together.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Rabate walks the museum\u2019s grounds, he stops to speak to various colleagues, from curators to security officers. He spoke to TN Magazine during his last week in Louvre Abu Dhabi. During the interview, several members of his team stopped Rabate to ask for a photo or to give him a heartfelt hug.<\/p>\n

Over the past decade, many of those roles have been filled by Emirati professionals who began their careers as the museum was taking shape. \u201cWhat I am most proud of is seeing people who started here and who are now leading departments or working across the region,\u201d Rabate says.<\/p>\n

When asked what the secret is to a museum\u2019s success, Rabate speaks of the importance of partnerships and building a community. He is quick to point out that Louvre Abu Dhabi\u2019s success was the result of collaboration, with colleagues at the Department of Culture and Tourism \u2013 Abu Dhabi, as well as the curators, scholars and staff who shaped the institution day after day.<\/p>\n

When asked what is needed from a museum director, he pauses before saying a director is like an architect, putting different parts together. \u201cI\u2019m not an art historian,\u201d he says. \u201cMy role is to build the machine that allows this encounter \u2013 between artworks, ideas and people.\u201d<\/p>\n

At a time when much of people\u2019s time is spent online, Rabate reflects on the role of physical spaces and physical objects. While the knowledge of art history can be learnt through vast online resources, \u201ca museum organises the encounter of physical collection and physical visitors in a setting that amplifies the understanding and magnification of beauty\u201d, he says, adding that \u201cit is all about a balance\u201d between informing and sparking emotions.<\/p>\n

Rabate\u2019s departure comes as the broader cultural district around the museum is beginning to take form. Within walking distance, Zayed National Museum, Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi and TeamLab Phenomena is each forging their own complementary identities since their opening last year, with Guggenheim Abu Dhabi set to join them in the coming months.<\/p>\n

From the beginning, Rabate says Louvre Abu Dhabi was intended to be part of a much larger cultural ecosystem. \u201cIt was a gift to the world \u2026 with a new narrative of exchange and connectivity,\u201d he explains. \u201cIt was always a collective vision. The museum was one step in a wider cultural project.\u201d <\/p>\n

But its influence already extends far wider than just its sister institutions on Saadiyat Island. Rabate believes Louvre Abu Dhabi has already begun influencing how scores of museums think about their role in a globalised world. Institutions across Europe, Asia and North America have increasingly experimented with cross-cultural narratives that highlight connections between civilisations, rather than presenting them in isolation. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe became a benchmark,\u201d Rabate says. The director who succeeds him, which is still under discussion, will inherit an institution that has moved well beyond its early experimental phase. \u201cThe architecture is very strong,\u201d Rabate says. \u201cThe teams are excellent, the collection is growing and the district is taking shape. Whoever comes next will bring their own perspective.\u201d <\/p>\n

However, he acknowledges that the moment of handing over the reins at Louvre Abu Dhabi is \u201cbittersweet\u201d as he prepares for \u201cthe closure of 18 years of my life\u201d.<\/p>\n

Rabate\u2019s next chapter will unfold thousands of kilometres away in India. The Kiran Nadar Museum of Art is set to become the largest private museum in the country, with a vast new cultural campus designed by architect Sir David Adjaye under development.<\/p>\n

The move also reflects a historical connection between the Gulf and the Indian subcontinent \u2013 regions that have long been linked through trade, migration and cultural exchange.<\/p>\n

The challenge, he says, carries echoes of the work he undertook in Abu Dhabi. \u201cI\u2019m taking with me the methodology and the ambition of what we built here,\u201d he says, reflecting on his learnings from Abu Dhabi. \u201cBut every project begins with understanding the place \u2013 the people, the culture, the city around it.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he walks the galleries of Louvre Abu Dhabi \u2013 still among the first to arrive each morning and the last to leave \u2013 he thinks about the millions who have passed through its doors since it opened.<\/p>\n

He thinks back to the morning of November 11, 2017 \u2013 the first day the museum opened to the public. He was standing by the door with a gift in his hand for the first visitor when security informed him it was actually two little girls. Unable to offer them both the gift, he instead gave them a welcoming bow as someone snapped a photograph \u2013 an image he still treasures.<\/p>\n

The moment took on new meaning last year. \u201cThey came back to visit,\u201d Rabate says. \u201cAnd they told me, with emotion in their voices, that Louvre Abu Dhabi had changed their life.\u201d<\/p>\n

His departure, he says, does not feel like an ending. \u201cIt is a continuity move,\u201d he remarks. The role of museum director is about \u201cbuilding bridges\u201d \u2013 between cultures, across time, and throughout the global art world. That mission continues \u2013 and Louvre Abu Dhabi will remain a central part of that for him moving forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not a goodbye,\u201d Rabate says. \u201cIt\u2019s more an \u2018au revoir\u2019. The connection remains.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Manuel Rabate is not ready to say goodbye just yet. For close to a decade, he has overseen…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":344670,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[307,86367,304,305,306,308,93,61,60,709,329,157481],"class_list":["post-344669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-culture-team","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-magazine","tag-story","tag-tn-magazine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=344669"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344669\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/344670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=344669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=344669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=344669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}