Louvre Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi · United Arab Emirates · Founded 2017
An art and civilization museum, located on the Saadiyat Island Cultural District.
800,000
Annual Visitors
600+ permanent works spanning world civilisations
Collection
2–3 hours
Recommended Visit
Jean Nouvel (2017)
Architect
About Louvre Abu Dhabi
The Louvre Abu Dhabi is an art and civilization museum, located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The museum was established on November 8, 2017 by French President Emmanuel Macron and United Arab Emirates Vice President Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
It is part of a thirty-year agreement between the city of Abu Dhabi and the French government. The museum is located on the Saadiyat Island Cultural District. It is approximately 24,000 square metres in size, with 8,000 square metres of galleries, making it the largest art museum in the Arabian peninsula.
Artworks from around the world are showcased at the museum, with stated intent to bridge the gap between Eastern and Western art.
The museum's stunning architectural design, created by Jean Nouvel, features a massive webbed dome that creates a 'rain of light' effect, filtering sunlight through intricate geometric patterns.
Masterworks & Must-See Highlights
The works that define Louvre Abu Dhabi — and why they matter.
Portrait of a Young Woman
Jacques-Louis David · 1800
Chapter 12, Modernity
One of the most intimate portraits by the leading painter of the French Revolution. The young woman's direct gaze and loosened hair give this commission an unusual psychological intensity.
La Belle Ferronnière
Leonardo da Vinci · c. 1495–1499
Chapter 3, Universal Religions
A portrait attributed to Leonardo depicting a young woman of the Milanese court. The model's three-quarter pose and her direct gaze — unusual for the time — suggest she was a person of significance rather than a passive subject.
The Last Supper (after da Vinci)
Workshop of Leonardo · 16th century
Long Gallery
A rare full-scale oil-on-canvas copy of da Vinci's wall painting made within decades of the original, preserving details since lost to deterioration. One of only a handful of near-contemporary copies in existence.
Collections & Highlights
Frequently Asked Questions
A small ask before you go
You've just explored one of humanity's greatest collections of beauty. Art has the power to move us, inspire us, and change how we see the world. But millions of people will never see beauty like this — not because the art isn't there, but because they can't see at all.
Preventable blindness, caused by conditions like cataracts and trachoma, affects people of all ages across the world's poorest communities. A small gift — for the cost of a museum ticket — can provide a simple surgery to restore someone's sight and transform their life.