ABU DHABI, 13 August 2007 — The UAE capital yesterday created a body comprising some of France’s leading cultural figures to oversee the development of a satellite Louvre museum, which is to be built in the Cultural District of Saadiyat Island — 500 meters offshore from the capital.
The French Museums Agency will help develop the branch of the famed cultural icon, Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Authority (ADTA) said in a statement.
Under the 30-year agreement, the government of Abu Dhabi will pay $525 million for the Louvre brand name.
The French Museums Agency, will operate in collaboration with the Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) which is behind the transformation of Saadiyat Island and will be chaired by leading French financier and member of the country’s Academie des Beaux Arts, Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière, publisher of the intellectual periodical Revue des Deux Mondes with Bruno Maquart, the former executive director of Center Pompidou acting as executive director.
“The French Museums Agency comprises some of the finest minds in the French cultural arena,” said Sheikh Sultan ibn Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of ADTA and TDIC.
“Working closely with the Tourism Development & Investment Company, the French Museums Agency members will be responsible for most aspects of planning of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, including the scientific and cultural program, advising on the architecture, design and acquisitions, handling loans, temporary exhibitions, management support, visitor development and services.”
The agency includes Henri Loyrette, chairman and director of the Louvre and former director of the Musée d’Orsay who will chair its Scientific Committee, Laurence des Cars, the former curator of Musée d’Orsay who will act as scientific director and Sylvie Aubenas, Curator of the BNF’s Engraving and Photography Department who will also serve on the Scientific Committee.
Under its management support jurisdiction, the agency will supply expertise in the fields of restoration, curatorship, exhibition design as well as provide the required training for the Museum Operating Body that will be in charge of the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
Planning for the Louvre Abu Dhabi, for which the French award-winning architect Jean Nouvel delivered the concept design, follows a 30-year cultural accord sealed earlier this year between the governments of Abu Dhabi and the Republic of France.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi is one of several iconic museums and arts centers being planned for Saadiyat Island. Others include: the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi modern and contemporary art museum, a Maritime Museum, the Sheikh Zayed National Museum, a performing arts center and a Biennale Park with a host of museum clusters.
The Abu Dhabi government plans to turn the island into a world-class tourist resort and a home for 150,000 people by 2018 as part of an effort to secure a larger slice of the region’s tourist industry.
