The first reviews are beginning to come in from almost 200 international media invited to the preview of Louvre Abu Dhabi.
One of the first was from The Telegraph in London.
“The simple experience of being here is hugely pleasurable,” writes correspondent Nick Trend.
“The galleries are stunning: Jean Nouvel gives you occasional windows on the sea, the sky and the courtyards outside; rooms to rest your eyes; space for the art and artefacts to breathe and your spirit to soar.”
Trend examines the challenge of building a world-class museum in what he says was a “desert state which, 50 years ago, was little more than a scattering of fishing villages”.
Thanks to the combination of French expertise and the vision of a universal museum, “Abu Dhabi suddenly looks like a much more interesting city”, he says.
Two of the sternest critics of the project were The New York Times and The Guardian in London. Both frequently published critical articles.
But from their reviews, both seem to have been won over, at least in part. Oliver Wainwright in The Guardian described the impact of the building and the water that surrounds it, as "mesmerising."
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Audience members watch an orchestral performance during the opening ceremony of the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Hamad Al Mansoori for The Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi -
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, tours the opening ceremony of the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Mohamed Al Hammadi / Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi -
Left to right, Dr Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Director General of Abu Dhabi Education Council and Abu Dhabi Executive Council Member, Ahmed Juma Al Zaabi, UAE Deputy Minister of Presidential Affairs, Mohammed Abdulla Al Gergawi, UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future, Dr Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Nuaimi, UAE Minister of Infrastructural Development, Sheikh Ahmed bin Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, and Sheikh Abdulla bin Mohammed Al Hamed, Chairman of the Health Department and Abu Dhabi Executive Council Member, tour the Louvre Abu Dhabi, during the opening ceremony. Hamad Al Kaabi / Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi -
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, tours the Louvre Abu Dhabi, during the opening ceremony. Hamad Al Kaabi / Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi -
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, left, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, right, enter Louvre Abu Dhabi with French president Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron. Omar Al Askar for The Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi -
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, tours Louvre Abu Dhabi with Sheikha Fatima bint Abdullah bin Zayed. Omar Al Askar for The Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi -
Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed, Chairman of the Board of Zayed Higher Organisation for Humanitarian Care and Special Needs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Saud Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, second right, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, UAE Minister of State for Tolerance, Lt Gen Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Ashraf Ghani, president of Afghanistan, and other dignitaries, tour Louvre Abu Dhabi. Omar Al Askar for The Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi -
King Mohammed VI of Morocco, right, and Saif Ghobash, Director General of Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority. Omar Al Askar for The Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi -
Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Fujairah, second left, and King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain, third left at Louvre Abu Dhabi. Seen with Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. Omar Al Askar for The Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi -
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, right. Omar Al Askar for Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi -
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed with Bahrain’s King Hamad. Omar Al Askar for Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi -
King Mohammed VI of Morocco, right, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, centre, and Emmanuel Macron, president of France, third right, attend the opening ceremony of the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Hamad Al Kaabi / Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi -
Members of the UAE Armed Forces participate in the opening ceremony of the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Mohamed Al Hammadi / Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi -
Emmanuel Macron, president of France delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Hamad Al Mansoori for The Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi
“Standing beneath this vast cosmic dome, with rays of light piercing through its layers of star-shaped latticework casting dapples across the facades of the white concrete buildings, you feel transported to another realm,” he writes.
Of the museum’s finishing touches, he says: “It feels like they had too much money to spend.” But he notes that Louvre Abu Dhabi’s slogan, “See humanity in a new light”, is “exactly what this project forces you to do”.
The New York Times review frames the museum in the wider context of the politics of the region and the UAE's projection of soft power. The article, by Doreen Carvajal, describes the museum's history as "turbulent".
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Read more:
Louvre Abu Dhabi: Beauty in the service of civilisation
Louvre Abu Dhabi: everything you need to know from tickets to opening hours
Louvre Abu Dhabi: the long-awaited first look inside
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She writes of “a saga of economic downturn, collapsing oil prices, regional political tensions and fierce French intellectual debates about the risks of lending its national treasures to the Middle East in exchange for petrodollars”.
But the result is: “Through it all, the Louvre Abu Dhabi has brought together East and West”.
Away from the experts, the museum already features on TripAdvisor, with three reviews and an “excellent” rating before it has opened to the public.
Users of the website, who are ordinary travellers, have voted the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque the world’s second most popular tourist attraction.
