Watch the Mona Lisa at close quarters - and without the crowds - at the painting's annual examination. Walk through the rooftops of the Louvre Palace in the company of French photographer and street artist JR. Or design a customised Louis Vuitton trunk with custom-made fragrance bottles within.
An online auction, from December 1 to 15, will offer experiences that “money can’t buy in normal times”. The Bid for the Louvre sale will be held on the Christie’s website, and is a collaboration among the auction house, the Musee du Louvre and the Hotel Drouot. While most of the experiences and objets d’art are centred on the Paris museum, participants can bid for the Three Louvres, a journey to all three musems in the Louvre universe, in Paris, Lens and Abu Dhabi.
All the experiences are valid for two years, until December 2022.
The sale also includes artworks donated by painters, sculptors and photographers, as well as fashion items from luxury maisons.
Proceeds from the auction will go towards the Louvre Museum Studio, a space dedicated to artistic and cultural education, which will open in 2021 with an aim to make the museum accessible to everyone, including students and people of determination.
Here are some of the lots on this digital auction block.
Experiences for auction
- Joconde Mania: join Jean-Luc Martinez, president and director of Musee du Louvre, for the annual examination of the Mona Lisa.
- Magical Night By Torch Light: discover the Louvre Museum by night.
- Hidden Treasures of the Drawing Cabinet: discover the jewels in the museum's drawing room.
- Concert of Kings: attend a concert at Caryatids Hall, former reception hall of French royalty, especially given in your honour.
- Arc of the Carrousel: enjoy a romantic evening for two on the roof of Paris's famed Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel.
- Roofs of the Louvre: follow street artist JR on his adventure on the rooftops of the Louvre Museum.
- Discover the Louvre with its President: Jean-Luc Martinez, a specialist in Greek statuary, promises a behind-the-scenes experience.
- Garden of the Tuileries: Associate your name with a newly planted tree and restored bench in Tuileries Garden, as part of a project to regain its former splendour.
- The Three Louvres: a visit to all the Louvre museums, in Paris, Lens and Abu Dhabi.
- Gourmandise du Louvre au Ritz Paris: a private tour of the Louvre on the theme of the art and food, followed by a pastry class and meeting with chef François Perret, and ending with a night at the Ritz, Paris.
Artworks for auction
High fashion for auction
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Read more:
Emma Stone’s Elie Saab Oscars gown to be auctioned off in aid of Beirut
Royal jewellers Garrard & Co create updated replica of Princess Diana’s engagement ring
Six art shows to see in Dubai and Abu Dhabi before the end of the year
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
THE BIO
Favourite holiday destination: Whenever I have any free time I always go back to see my family in Caltra, Galway, it’s the only place I can properly relax.
Favourite film: The Way, starring Martin Sheen. It’s about the Camino de Santiago walk from France to Spain.
Personal motto: If something’s meant for you it won’t pass you by.
CHELSEA SQUAD
Arrizabalaga, Bettinelli, Rudiger, Christensen, Silva, Chalobah, Sarr, Azpilicueta, James, Kenedy, Alonso, Jorginho, Kante, Kovacic, Saul, Barkley, Ziyech, Pulisic, Mount, Hudson-Odoi, Werner, Havertz, Lukaku.
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
Multitasking pays off for money goals
Tackling money goals one at a time cost financial literacy expert Barbara O'Neill at least $1 million.
That's how much Ms O'Neill, a distinguished professor at Rutgers University in the US, figures she lost by starting saving for retirement only after she had created an emergency fund, bought a car with cash and purchased a home.
"I tell students that eventually, 30 years later, I hit the million-dollar mark, but I could've had $2 million," Ms O'Neill says.
Too often, financial experts say, people want to attack their money goals one at a time: "As soon as I pay off my credit card debt, then I'll start saving for a home," or, "As soon as I pay off my student loan debt, then I'll start saving for retirement"."
People do not realise how costly the words "as soon as" can be. Paying off debt is a worthy goal, but it should not come at the expense of other goals, particularly saving for retirement. The sooner money is contributed, the longer it can benefit from compounded returns. Compounded returns are when your investment gains earn their own gains, which can dramatically increase your balances over time.
"By putting off saving for the future, you are really inhibiting yourself from benefiting from that wonderful magic," says Kimberly Zimmerman Rand , an accredited financial counsellor and principal at Dragonfly Financial Solutions in Boston. "If you can start saving today ... you are going to have a lot more five years from now than if you decide to pay off debt for three years and start saving in year four."
