French President Emmanuel Macron gestures as he is welcomed by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Prime Minister and Vice-President of UAE and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum upon Macron's arrival with his wife at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, in Abu Dhabi, UAE, November 8, 2017. REUTERS/Satish Kumar

Louvre Abu Dhabi unveiled by Emmanuel Macron

UAE

Posted On: November 10, 2017

< 1 minute read

French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled a £1bn newly-built museum in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

The new Louvre, built over the past 10 years, holds 600 artworks permanently and 300 loaned from France.

Praised by critics, the building boasts a latticed dome designed to allow the desert sun to filter through.

It holds art and items related to history and religion from around the world and Mr Macron called it a “bridge between civilisations”.

He said: “Those who seek to say Islam is the destruction of other religions are liars.”

The project, agreed between France and Abu Dhabi in 2007, was initially intended to open in 2012 but was delayed by the global financial crisis and plummeting oil prices, sending the final cost soaring over its original $654m budget.

Read full article on BBC, November 8, 2017.