The inside story

Rivalry surrounded the selection of the exhibition designer for the upcoming Louvre Abu Dhabi, which will be built in Saadiyat Island Cultural District, as six firms were invited to take part in a competition arranged by Agence
France-Museums.

The competition was chaired by Shaikh Sultan Bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi's Tourism Development and Investment Company.

Judges included Henri Loyette, director of the Musée du Louvre and Jean Nouvel, the architect responsible for the exterior design of Louvre Abu Dhabi. The interior of the Louvre, comprising the permanent exhibition and gallery spaces, will be designed by the winning company, French firm Nathalie Criniere.

The company will also develop a graphic identity for the museum, including multimedia elements, interior lighting and signage. Nathalie Criniere, who studied at the École Boulle and École Nationale Superiéure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, began her career with the Pépé Cortes group in Barcelona, Spain.

She went on to work for a number of agencies in her home city of Paris before establishing herself as an independent consultant, finally founding her own agency, NC Agency, in 2002. The NC Agency now works with clients worldwide, such as the Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais in Paris and the Musée National d'Art Modern et Contemporain
d'Alger in Algeria.

The Louvre Abu Dhabi, described as an 'island on the island' by Jean Nouvel, will feature a webbed, dome-shaped ceiling letting in broken shards of light, and pools of water that will reflect off white walls.

It will showcase important archaeological artefacts alongside major works of art, drawn from the collections of the Louvre and other eminent French institutions. Over time, the Louvre Abu Dhabi will develop its own permanent collection in line with other major museums and galleries worldwide.