HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and President Nicolas Sarkozy.
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Abu Dhabi welcomed Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President, to the capital to officially start the construction of the Louvre Abu Dhabi today.
The museum, scheduled for completion in 2012-13, is located on Saadiyat Island and will loan works from the Louvre and other French museums.
“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,” said HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE.
“We move forward today with warm gratitude toward the people and government of France for joining us in the unprecedented cultural partnership that is creating the Louvre Abu Dhabi,” he said.
Louvre Abu Dhabi has been designed by Jean Nouvel and will be located next to a branch of the Guggenheim, the modern art museum in New York, which is to open in 2011.
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“With deep admiration for the people of Abu Dhabi, and for their leaders who believe, as we do, that the arts lie at the very heart of civilization, the Republic of France joins in celebrating this auspicious day,” said President Sarkozy.
“Together, we have embarked on an extraordinary journey of cultural exchange and collaboration and I believe that our two countries will forever be strengthened by this partnership.”
The museum, dubbed “Louvre of the Sands”, consist of a complex of pavilions, plazas, alleyways and canals, evoking the image of a city floating on the sea.
The complex is covered by a patterned dome about 180m in diameter that has been inspired by traditional Arabic architecture.
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A world first - a museum with a branch! The Louvre goes global!