Louvre Abu Dhabi
Opening Hours
Wt-Czw 10:00-18:30 Pt-Niedz: 10:00-20:30
Duration
1-2 godziny
Price
From 63 AED
Address
Saadiyat Island
About Louvre Abu Dhabi
Imagine walking into a floating palace of light, where masterpieces from Paris meet ancient treasures of the Middle East – welcome to the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the UAE's revolutionary answer to the museum experience. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, this isn't your typical stuffy art gallery. Its showstopping 180-meter dome (weighing as much as the Eiffel Tower!) creates a magical "rain of light" effect – thousands of sunbeams dance across the white galleries like living artwork, a phenomenon you'll only find in Abu Dhabi's perfect desert light.
Forget everything you know about Western museums. Here, you'll see Van Gogh's Self-Portrait displayed alongside 12th-century Islamic calligraphy, or a Monet landscape dialoguing with Phoenician gold. The 12 immersive galleries take you on a 12,000-year journey through human creativity – yes, you'll spot Da Vinci's La Belle Ferronnière, but you'll also discover how Chinese porcelain influenced Persian artisans, or how Mesopotamian inventions shaped global trade.
Fun Facts
The dome's 7,850 unique stars create a mesmerizing "rain of light" effect - patterns that shift throughout the day like a living artwork.
When Leonardo's "La Belle Ferronnière" traveled from Paris, it had its own security detail and climate-controlled capsule worth over $1 million.
Construction workers uncovered 2,000-year-old pearl diving tools - now displayed as proof the UAE has been a cultural crossroads for millennia.
The entire structure appears to hover above the Persian Gulf thanks to invisible supports and clever water channels.
Buried beneath the museum is a "cultural time capsule" containing contemporary Emirati artifacts - to be opened in 2121.
You'll see a 6th-century Buddha beside a Renaissance Madonna - exhibits are arranged by themes, not geography, showing our shared humanity.
Gallery
History
The Louvre Abu Dhabi's story reads like an art thriller: a 21st-century cultural heist that brought Western masterpieces to the Arabian Desert. Born from a historic 2007 agreement between France and the UAE (reportedly worth $1.3 billion), it took a decade of engineering miracles to realize architect Jean Nouvel's vision of a "museum city" floating on the Gulf.
That iconic dome? A modern reinterpretation of ancient Arab mashrabiya screens, its 7,850 stars arranged in geometric patterns inspired by regional palm-leaf weaving. When sunlight filters through, it creates the very effect that gave the UAE its name – the "rain of light" (Abu Dhabi means "Father of Light" in Arabic).
The collection tells an even older story. While the museum borrowed 300+ artworks from 13 French institutions (including the Musée d'Orsay and Versailles), its permanent galleries spotlight often-overlooked connections – like how 9th-century Iraqi astrolabes influenced European navigation, or why Renaissance painters coveted Syrian pigments.
Fun fact for history buffs: The site itself is archaeological gold. During construction, workers uncovered 2,000-year-old pearl trader artifacts – now displayed alongside modern Emirati art, proving this land always connected cultures.
Location
Prices may vary based on season and availability. We recommend checking the official website for the most up-to-date information.