Abu Dhabi: After the long-awaited opening of the Louvre Abu Dhabi on November 11, families will be able to plan a full day out visiting the iconic museum and its many different exhibits and workshops, a senior official at the museum has said.
“A quick walk through the museum’s collection [of 620 permanent artworks] should take between one and two hours. But along with a stop at the Children’s Museum and the temporary exhibits, we envision that families can spend nearly a whole day at the museum,” Hessa Al Daheri, deputy director of Louvre Abu Dhabi, told Gulf News.
One of the main aims of the new museum, the result of a 2007 intergovernmental agreement between the UAE and France, is to promote tolerance and cultural understanding.
“The Louvre Abu Dhabi’s unique exhibition design explores the connections between civilisations and cultures that may, at first, appear to be far separated by time and geography. Visitors will be guided through a chronological and theme-based display, traversing different periods and civilisations. The display picks out universal themes and common influences to illustrate the similarities that grow out of a shared human experience, beyond any geographical, historical, or cultural boundaries. The result is a truly universal museum,” the Louvre Museum in Paris has said in an online statement.
The Louvre Museum in Paris will loan the use of its name to Louvre Abu Dhabi for 30 years and six months, and will loan artworks to the new museum for 10 years.
- Hessa Al Daheri | Deputy Director of Louvre Abu Dhabi
Children’s Museum
Al Daheri added that the Louvre Abu Dhabi wants to start early on this process of fostering greater cultural understanding.
“This is why the Children’s Museum is significant. And in a bid to engage younger visitors, pieces in this section will be displayed at children’s eye level,” the official added.
Admission is free of charge for children aged 13 years and younger, and is discounted at Dh30 for younger visitors between the ages of 13 and 22 years.
A host of other activities will also be available to engage families who visit the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
Guided tours and workshops
In the opening week, for instance, guided tours around the galleries will be available to provide further insight for visitors. Guides will shed light on the masterpieces housed at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, as well as on the architecture of the facility. The ‘My First Visit to Louvre Abu Dhabi’ has also been especially designed for families with children, and will introduce them to key artworks and architectural elements while also giving an overview of different museum-related professions.
In addition, there will be a range of workshops to choose from during the first few weeks after the opening. The Geometric Patterns sessions will introduce participants to the different shapes in the artworks displayed in the Children’s Museum, and then allow them to design their own unique patterns. During the Put on your Mask! workshop, attendees will explore masks and their inspirations featured in the Louvre Abu Dhabi’s collection, and go on to create their own.
On the other hand, those who wish to hone their observational skills while walking through the various galleries can attend the My Museum Travel Journal workshop. Registration for all workshops is free, and can be completed at the museum’s ticketing desk.
12 galleries
The museum’s collection itself is organised in 12 different galleries that “tell the story of humanity”, according to the Louvre Abu Dhabi webpage.
The galleries are The First Villages, The First Great Powers; Civilisations and Empires; Universal Religions; Asian Trade Routes; From the Mediterranean to the Atlantic; Cosmography; The World in Perspective; The Magnificence of the Court; A New Art of Living; A Modern World?, Challenging Modernity; and A Global Stage.
Ticket prices
Dh60 for adults over 22 years
Dh30 for those aged 13-22 years
Free entry for children 13 years and younger
Dh30 for education professionals
Free entry for members of Louvre Abu Dhabi’s loyalty programme, journalists, visitors with specials needs and their companions, members of the International Council of Museums, and members of the International Council on Monuments and Sites.
