Louvre Abu Dhabi
A perforated dome of eight thousand steel stars that rains light onto the galleries.
Duration
2 hrs 30 min – 4 hrs
Best time
Late afternoon
Open
Closed Monday
Entry price
To confirm
The museum opened in 2017 on Saadiyat island, in a building by Jean Nouvel. Its hundred-and-eighty-metre dome is made of eight superimposed layers of steel stars: the light passing through them produces a shifting 'rain of light' on the floor, an effect drawn from the palm grove.
The collection is arranged by period rather than by civilisation: one room brings together what was made at the same moment across several continents, setting objects side by side that no other museum shows together. That choice, more than the works lent by France, is what makes it interesting.
Getting there
Saadiyat island, twenty minutes by taxi from central Abu Dhabi. The museum has its own car park and a shuttle from some hotels.
What the price covers
paid entry, check the current rate on site
Rules on site
Closed on Monday. The rain of light under the dome depends on sunshine: under cloud, the effect disappears entirely.