A new era of culture: the day Louvre Abu Dhabi was inaugurated

It happened two years ago today

French artist M performs during the opening day at the Louvre Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi on November 11, 2017. Christopher Pike / The National 

SSheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, stand for a photograph while touring the newly constructed Louvre Abu Dhabi in September 2017. Ryan Carter / Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi

Entrance to Louvre Abu Dhabi, which opened its doors to the publi con November 11, 2017. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Bidhya Devi Bhandari, President of Nepal, visited the museum in November 2017, shortly after its opening. Saif Ghobash, Undersecretary of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi and museum director Manuel Rabate was there during her visit. Courtesy Louvre Abu Dhabi

From April 2016: The first four stages of "flooding" the construction site starts. The process involved welcoming back water from the Arabian Gulf, which surrounds the museum today. Christopher Pike / The National

Francois Hollande, former president of France, visits the museum's construction site with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, in December 2016. Christopher Pike / The National

On the E11, the Vincent van Gogh self portrait advertises Louvre Abu Dhabi in February. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Moroccan King Mohammed VI looks at a painting titled "Whistler's Mother" by James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1871) as he visits the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum during its inauguration in 2017. ludovic MARIN / AFP

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed greet Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte at the opening of Louvre Abu Dhabi. AFP

A visitor walks through a patch of light at Louvre Abu Dhabi. The museum's iconic done, designed by Jean Nouvel, filters natural light to produce this dappled effect. Christopher Pike / REUTERS

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy visits the museum's construction site with Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority in January 2016. Sarkozy has close ties to the project after initiating its intergovernmental agreement in 2007. Courtesy TDIC

Construction for Louvre Abu Dhabi began in 2009 and reached its final stages in 2016. Christopher Pike / The National

The inauguration ceremony of the museum on November 8, 2017 was attended by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces (centre), King Mohamed VI of Morocco (right) and French president Emmanuel Macron (left). Hamad Al Kaabi / Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi

Portrait of a woman by Pablo Picasso on display at the Louvre. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Bust of Faustina the younger, Roman Empress on display at the Louvre, from November 2017. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Louvre Abu Dhabi opened its doors to the public on November 11. Christopher Pike / The National

A visitor takes a photo of Leonardo da Vinci's 'La Belle Ferronière' at Louvre Abu Dhabi. Chris Whiteoak / The National

A visitor at the modern and contemporary section of Louvre Abu Dhabi, from November 2017. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Jacques-Louis David's 'Napoleon Bonaparte Crossing the Alps', depicting the French stateman's crossing through the Great St. Bernard's Pass in May 1800. Chris Whiteoak / The National

An Emirati man shows visitors traditional weaving techniques for fishnets during a UAE National Day Program at Louvre Abu Dhabi in December 2018. Antonie Robertson / The National

An aerial view of Louvre ABu Dhabi. In 2018, the museum announced that it welcomed more than one million visitors in its first year. UAE residents represented 40% of the museum’s visitors, with Emirati nationals ranking in the top two visitors in this category. Courtesy DCT Abu Dhabi

Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority looks at the Monumental Lion sculpture on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi in February 2018. Christopher Pike / Reuters

epa07953447 Visitors gather under the building's main dome during a preview of the exhibition '10,000 years of Luxury' at the Louvre Gallery in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 27 October 2019. The exhibition also includes a 8,000-year-old pearl of just a few millimeters in diameter that has been discovered during archeological excavations on the Marawah Island near Abu Dhabi. Some 350 extraordinary pieces from around 30 countries spanning several millennia are shown at the exhibition that reportedly opens on 30 October. EPA/ALI HAIDER

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, September 17, 2020. The U.A.E. flag proudly waves at the Louvre Abu Dhabi on a Thursday afternoon. Victor Besa/The National. Section: Standalone

Senior adviser to the US president Jared Kushner being shown a replica of the Abrahamic Family House, a planned interfaith prayer site, at Louvre Abu Dhabi. Twitter/ @USAinUAE

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, June 25, 2020. The Louvre , Abu Dhabi after 100 days of being temporarily closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Victor Besa / The National Section: NA Reporter: Saeed Saeed

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, September 17, 2020. The garden area outside the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa/The National. Section: Standalone

It was on Wednesday, November 8, 2017 that Louvre Abu Dhabi's inauguration ceremony took place, welcoming leaders from around the world. By then, it had been a decade since the project had been approved by the French Parliament and the Louvre Museum in Paris signed a $525 million (Dh1.92 billion) agreement, allowing the capital’s government to use its name for 30 years.

“The [museum] will be a meeting point for lovers of art, culture and beauty all around the world,” said Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, at the opening event, as 10 years of hard work finally came to fruition.

“With the opening of this museum, Abu Dhabi has become the capital of art, architecture and mankind’s heritage.”

At the inauguration – which happened three days before the museum officially opened its doors to the public on November 11, 2017 with a programme of music, arts, dance performances and workshops – Sheikh Mohammed was joined by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, as well as Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, and the First Lady Brigitte.

In the two years since opening, the Jean Nouvel-designed museum on Saadiyat Island has attracted a bevy of famous faces looking to discover the treasures beneath its signature latticed dome. From global dignitaries, such as Jordan's King Abdullah II and Queen Rania, the UK's Prince Andrew and former French president Francois Hollande to world-renowned celebrities, including tennis star Maria Sharapova, Academy Award-winning actor Adrien Brody and domestic goddess Martha Stewart, there's no shortage of culture-seekers perusing both its permanent and temporary exhibitions.

While the collection is already stellar, benefiting from partnerships with French cultural institutions, there have also been some significant additions. In the past month alone, that includes Auguste Rodin's famed bronze sculpture The Thinker, which is on loan for a year from the Rodin Museum in Paris, as well as what is believed to be the world's oldest natural pearl. This 8,000-year-old gem was discovered on Marawah Island and is now on display in what has quickly become the UAE's most fascinating museum.

This year, Louvre Abu Dhabi are celebrating their second anniversary with pop-up performances by artists and musicians in the galleries. On Saturday, November 9, Al Fursan will present an aerobatic display and fly over the dome at 2pm.