Louvre Abu Dhabi construction begins
The UAE and France formally launched the Louvre Abu Dhabi project, bringing the iconic cultural name one step closer to the region
General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Sup?reme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and visiting French President Nicolas attended a ceremony at Emirates Palace Hotel to mark the start of construction of the museum, expected to be completed by 2013. The museum is being built on Saadiyat Island, the future Cultural District of Abu Dhabi. It will be built with a cost of Dh400 million in addition to a franchise fee of $1 billion (Dh3.67bn) for using the Louvre brand name and for hundreds of artworks loaned from the Paris museum for periods of between six months and two years.
The Tourism Development and Investment Authority (TDIC) of Abu Dhabi signed a 30-year-old agreement with France in March 2007 to use the Louvre brand name.
In a presentation at Emirates Palace, Sheikh Mohammed and President Sarkozy accepted a time capsule for the museum from children of the UAE and France, which will be placed in the Louvre Abu Dhabi at a future date. They also inaugurated an exhibition on "Talking Art: Louvre Abu Dhabi", at which works of art from the Louvre and other French museums will be on display until July 2. Also on show are some of the new museum's first acquisitions. A message from President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler of Abu Dhabi, was also delivered at the ceremony.
The UAE President in his message said: "Abu Dhabi's ultimate goal in creating the Louvre Abu Dhabi, and indeed the entire Saadiyat Island Cultural District, is to build a platform for deeper and more meaningful exchange among people from our own region and from all parts of the globe.
Sheikh Mohammed, welcoming the French President, said Abu Dhabi was excited by the shared progress being made towards the establishment of a new, world-class cultural institution in the emirate.
He said: "At every step of this remarkable and innovative collaboration, the ties of friendship and respect between Abu Dhabi and France grow stronger."
The Louvre Abu Dhabi is one of five museums to be built on Saadiyat Island, a vast complex of luxury hotels, golf courses, marinas and private villas set for completion in 2018. The complex is part of Abu Dhabi's plans to secure a larger slice of the booming tourist industry. The new museum has been designed by French architect Jean Nouvel
