The Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi celebrated a record debut year with much pomp and fanfare on November 11, as the ruling family of
United Arab Emirates (UAE) reaffirmed a firm resolve to transform the country into the cultural hub of Middle East.
According to reports, the museum authorities claimed that more than one million tourists from around the world had visited the establishment since it was first opened for the general public in late 2017, with people from India, Germany, China, United States and France making up almost 60 per cent of the total visitors.
The museum was inaugurated by French President Emmanuel Macron last year, with hundreds of works of art from all over the globe on display in different galleries. The breath-taking new enterprise also featured borrowed pieces from Agence France-Muséums, including works by Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent van Gogh and Pablo Picasso.
Back in 2007, the Louvre Museum in Paris had signed an agreement, valid for thirty years, and reportedly worth $525 million, with the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to let the latter use the Louvre name for a new branch. News media reported that another $750 million would be provided to France by Abu Dhabi for management and assistance related to the new Louvre during this time period.
The deal was part of an aggressive push by UAE to project ‘soft power’ in the region through the use of art, literature, theatre and music. The governments of the emirates reflected back fondly to a time when cultural capitals of the world were located in the Middle East, with Baghdad, Cairo, Damascus, Tehran and Beirut occupying positions of power within the artistic and literary worlds.
However, as conflict and climate change have taken a toll, these cities have slowly been robbed of this historic importance, and newer, more wealthy urban centres have emerged which are vying for this honour. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have already taken over as hubs of trade and finance, and are now pushing on to become the centre of the liberal arts as well.
