Louvre Abu Dhabi announced on Saturday that it has welcomed more than one million visitors in its first year since opening.
UAE residents represented 40 percent of the museum’s total number of visitors while Indians were most common among international visitors.
France, Germany, China, UK, the the US were also among the top visitors, state news agency WAM reported.
The museum said it has hosted more than 1,000 school trips, 5,000 guided tours, workshops and masterclasses, and programmed 115 special events from Bait Al Oud performances to talks, film screenings and concerts with more than 400 artists from 22 countries plus a show by British pop star Dua Lipa to celebrate the museum’s one-year anniversary.
Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, said: “One year ago we spoke about Louvre Abu Dhabi as Abu Dhabi’s gift to the world – and today we are proud to have shared it with more than one million visitors already. Louvre Abu Dhabi has become an icon and a favourite destination in Abu Dhabi both for our local communities and visitors to the city.
“Our strong collaboration with our French and regional partners supports the museum’s mission to tell universal stories and we thank them. Yet our greatest success, 10 years in the making, is the next generation of Emirati museum professionals who are trained to the highest standard in the cultural sector and are leaders in their field.”
He added: “The diversity of Louvre Abu Dhabi’s audiences not only reflects Abu Dhabi’s multicultural society, but also illustrates how its ambition and universal narrative, which aim to create bridges between cultures and nurture dialogue between communities, appeal to many, from seasoned art enthusiasts to younger audiences and families.”
Manuel Rabate, director of Louvre Abu Dhabi, said: “From the beginning, this project has embodied Abu Dhabi’s bold vision and we have endeavoured to offer experiences that celebrate human creativity in our galleries and programmes. Not only are we privileged to gather such treasures under our iconic dome on Saadiyat island, but we are also thrilled that so many visitors came to discover our universal narrative this year.”
Louvre Abu Dhabi recently unveiled 11 new acquisitions in its permanent galleries, alongside new significant loans from 13 French partner institutions as well as regional and international museums.
During its anniversary weekend, Louvre Abu Dhabi is hosting a two-day symposium, Worlds in a Museum, in collaboration with Ecole du Louvre, addressing the topic of museums in a globalised world.
Next year, two flagship international exhibitions will be presented – Rembrandt and the Dutch Golden Age: Masterpieces of the Leiden Collection and the Musee du Louvre from February 14 to May 18, and the photography show Opening the Album of the World, Photographs 1842-1896, in partnership with Musee du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac on April 25 to July 13.
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