Louvre Abu Dhabi

Louvre Abu Dhabi sits within the Saadiyat Island Cultural District, established through an agreement between the UAE and France and designed by architect Jean Nouvel. Rather than organising its collection by region, the museum arranges more than 600 artworks across 12 galleries in roughly chronological order, tracing a path from prehistory and early civilisations through the birth of Islam, the classical age, and on into the modern era.

The Collection

Alongside its permanent holdings, the museum displays works on loan from institutions including the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, with pieces by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Van Gogh, and Monet appearing among the galleries. The chronological layout lets visitors follow how artistic and cultural ideas moved between civilisations over time, rather than viewing each region in isolation.

The Dome

The building itself is as much a part of the experience as the art inside it. A 180-metre dome, made up of layered geometric patterns, covers the museum’s plaza and galleries, and its perforations let sunlight filter through in constantly shifting patterns across the day, an effect the museum describes as a rain of light falling onto the spaces below.