Abu Dhabi: The Louvre Abu Dhabi will shortly enter its design and engineering phase, according to Lee Tabler, CEO of the Tourism Development and Investment Company.
A 10-member delegation of French ministry officials and representatives from museums and five top cultural institutions visited Abu Dhabi over the management strategy planned for the Louvre Abu Dhabi due to open in the Cultural District on Saadiyat Island.
Earlier this year the governments of Abu Dhabi and France agreed to an unprecedented 30-year cultural accord to create the Louvre Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island, which lies 500 metres off Abu Dhabi.
"The project will soon enter its design and engineering phase with the imminent appointment of an engineering consultant to work in collaboration with Jean Nouvel," said Tabler.
He added that the talks focused on the management strategy for the Louvre Abu Dhabi, "which will be among the first of Saadiyat's international cultural institutions to take shape".
The team, which was accompanied by French Ambassador Patrice Paoli, included officials from the French Cultural Ministry, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Musée du Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, the CNAC Pompidou, Musée du Quai Branly and the National Library of France.
