Louvre branch in Abu Dhabi
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France’s storied Louvre museum, home to priceless art works such as the “Mona Lisa,” said Tuesday it would open a new Louvre in the Persian Gulf boomtown of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, prompting outcries from some who accuse the museum of shilling France’s patrimony for $1.3 billion in oil money.
The 30-year agreement opens the way for the Louvre Abu Dhabi to display thousands of works from the Paris Louvre and other leading French museums.
The works will be housed in a huge flying saucer-shaped museum designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, which will be erected on the Abu Dhabi waterfront, opening sometime after 2012.
French Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres said the venture represented the globalization of French culture. But prominent figures in the French art world have accused their government of exploiting art for trade and diplomacy.
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