The accord was signed in Abu Dhabi by Shaikh Sultan bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Chairman, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority and Tourism Development and Investment Company, and the French Minister for Culture and Communications, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres.

The Louvre Abu Dhabi is among several prestigious projects being undertaken in Abu Dhabi, including a performing arts centre, Shaikh Zayed National Museum, a Guggenheim -Abu Dhabi modern and contemporary art museum, a Maritime Museum and a Biennale Park with 19 pavilions.

“This is a major achievement in Abu Dhabi’s vision to become a world-class destination bridging global cultures,” said the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

“This accord further strengthens international dialogue, which will embrace all cultures. This initiative is a unique milestone in international cooperation and bilateral relations and a tribute to the long-standing and friendly ties our two nations have enjoyed. It also creates an enriching environment to be treasured by and to educate generations to come,” he said.

“By choosing the Louvre, Abu Dhabi not only sealed a partnership with the world’s most visited and well-known museum, but selected one which, from its very inception, had a vocation to reach out to the world, to the essence of mankind, through the contemplation of works of art,” said French President Jacques Chirac.

“The Louvre Abu Dhabi will empower a new era of international cultural cooperation,” said Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and Chairman of the Executive Council.

Autonomy

“In the long run, the Louvre Abu Dhabi will become autonomous. It will be a national, regional and international asset allowing all to fully participate in an interconnected global cultural understanding,” he said.

The opportunity provides for long-term loans from Louvre and major French museums such as Musee du Quai Branley, Centre Georges Pompidou, Musee Orsay, Versailles, Guimet, Rodin and Reunion des Musees Nationaux (RMN).

The agreement ensures French museum expertise will assist in the acquisition over the next decade of an Abu Dhabi art collection.

The Louvre will dedicate a floor of galleries to late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The commemorative galleries, on a floor of the Louvre’s Pavilion de Flore, will open within the next three years and house permanent displays of international work.

In addition to these, a multi-purpose art research centre in France which will be the largest of its kind in the world will also carry the name of the emirate. Abu Dhabi will also contribute to the restoration of the theatre in the Chateau de Fontainebleau - the largest royal palace in France.

Designed by Hector Lefuel between 1853 and 1856, the theatre, in the west of the chateau’s Louis XV wing, will be named after Shaikh Khalifa.