What’s On reveals how you can see art that will be displayed at the museum when it opens in December, this summer on Saadiyat Island.


Louvre Abu Dhabi doesn’t officially open its doors until the end of 2015, but if you want to see some of the pieces of art that will be displayed there once it does, you can this summer on Saadiyat Island.

The city’s art hub, Manarat Al Saadiyat, will be displaying several new pieces in an exhibition called Louvre Abu Dhabi Stories. The exhibition runs from June 21 to August 30 and will be split into two sections. Al Qalam will run June 21 to July 25, while Immortal Figures will run July 28 to August 30.

Al Qalam focuses on the written word, will feature textual artworks and will display a Qur’an bifolio and a manuscript. Immortal Figures, meanwhile, is all about sculptures – you can see an Italian bust of the 13th century Catholic priest Saint Peter Martyr, an Uli statue from New Ireland and a Nepalese gilt copper figure of Maitreya (a Buddha who it’s believed will appear on Earth in the future).

“This display will give the public the opportunity to view the museum’s growing permanent collection ahead of its opening, broadening awareness of both the museum’s curatorial identity and narrative,” says Hissa Al Dhaheri the Programmes Manager of Louvre Abu Dhabi.

When the Louvre opens at the end of this year, it’ll feature some 500 works of art permanently, with some 300 being loaned by French art institutions.

Manarat Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, daily 9am to 2pm, 8.30pm to 11.30pm during Ramadan, 9am to 10pm after Ramadan. Tel: (02) 657 5800 Taxi: Manarat Al Saadiyat. louvreabudhabi.ae