The Louvre Abu Dhabi museum is set to include a Jewish Torah as part of its collection when it opens next year, with an ancient Hindu statue, a Buddha and works of art from African Animism also set to be among a number of religious pieces to be displayed, sources have confirmed.
The museum, which is set to open in December 2015, will cost over $630 million to build and covers an area of 64,000 square metre. Designed by French architect Jean Nouvel and built on Saadiyat Island, it will have feature a 6,000 square metre space dedicated to permanent installations and 2,000 square metre set aside for temporary exhibitions.
The Torah, which is a religious manuscript, was discovered in Yemen and will be part of 300 works of art, including masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci and Vincent van Gogh, to be displayed from next year.
The pieces will be on loan from French museums and will be on display for up to two years.
“This will be the first time many of these works will travel to Abu Dhabi or even the Middle East, and are a rare opportunity to see important art from French museums,” said Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, chairman of the organisation behind the project.
A French source told AFP that Abu Dhabi had not censored any nudity or religious symbolism that appear in the works on loan.
“No work has been refused,” the AFP source added.
A source in Abu Dhabi confirmed to Arabian Business the Torah, Hindu statue, Buddha and Animism will be among the collection on loan from France.
Last week, the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) announced the full installation of the Louvre Abu Dhabi dome structure, which consists of 85 super-sized steel elements and weighs 7,000 tonnes.
Back in December 2013, the first super-sized element was lifted and put into place. Today, work on the last of the 85 pieces has finished, completing the dome’s complex puzzle shaped structure, the Abu Dhabi master developer said in a statement.
The dome sits on top of 120 temporary support towers, which later on will be dismantled and removed, leaving the dome, as initially designed, resting on four main piers only.
TDIC said in comments published by news agency WAM that work has now started on the cladding of the dome, whereby a total of eight layers of aluminium and stainless steel inserts will be placed in a clockwise direction, above and below the steel frame.
TDIC said the construction of all the galleries has been completed structurally, along with the concrete work for the museum’s basement levels as well as the security screening facility.
Work is also progressing on the 1.2km Saadiyat Tunnel which will be the main entryway for the artworks as they are transported to their destination.
Follow us on
