The Grand Vestibule is the first gallery that visitors en...

The National
  • The Grand Vestibule is the first gallery that visitors encounter inside Louvre Abu Dhabi and features a map of the UAE coastline. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    The Grand Vestibule is the first gallery that visitors encounter inside Louvre Abu Dhabi and features a map of the UAE coastline. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • The Grand Vestibule encapsulates the vision of the universal museum in a single gallery with artefacts from different cultures and periods on display for comparison. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    The Grand Vestibule encapsulates the vision of the universal museum in a single gallery with artefacts from different cultures and periods on display for comparison. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Maternity through the ages (left to right): a medieval French statue of the Virgin Mary and infant Jesus, the ancient Egyptian goddess Isis nursing Horus, and a 19th century figure from Congo's Yombe culture. The National
    Maternity through the ages (left to right): a medieval French statue of the Virgin Mary and infant Jesus, the ancient Egyptian goddess Isis nursing Horus, and a 19th century figure from Congo's Yombe culture. The National
  • A close-up of the map motif inside the Grand Vestibule in Louvre Abu Dhabi suggests that this is a view of the world from Abu Dhabi's perspective. Christopher Pike / The National
    A close-up of the map motif inside the Grand Vestibule in Louvre Abu Dhabi suggests that this is a view of the world from Abu Dhabi's perspective. Christopher Pike / The National
  • Death customs form part of the conversation between objects in the Grand Vestibule. Shown: a gilded funerary mask from Northern China (907 -1125). Christopher Pike / The National
    Death customs form part of the conversation between objects in the Grand Vestibule. Shown: a gilded funerary mask from Northern China (907 -1125). Christopher Pike / The National
  • Why have so many cultures used gold to venerate the dead? Shown, golden funerary masks from, left to right: Peru (100 BCE - 700 CE); the Levant (600 - 300 BCE); Northern China (907 -1125 CE). Christopher Pike / The National
    Why have so many cultures used gold to venerate the dead? Shown, golden funerary masks from, left to right: Peru (100 BCE - 700 CE); the Levant (600 - 300 BCE); Northern China (907 -1125 CE). Christopher Pike / The National