The Louvre prepares 300 masterpieces for transfer to the branch of the museum in the United Arab Emirates

Ten years after the signing of the agreement to establish a branch of the Louvre in the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi announced the completion of work and set an approximate date for the opening of the museum. This will happen in November. The opening may coincide with the Day of Armistice on November 11 or with the start of the Formula One Championship - the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 2.

While in the Emirates, over the completion of the project of the architectural bureau of Jean Nouvel, 3,000 workers work, in France they began to prepare works of art for sending to their eastern branch. The collection of the new museum will include 700 works from the museum collections of the UAE. Three hundred masterpieces will be provided by the Louvre, among them - Apollo Belvedere, a portrait of Leonardo da Vinci's "Beautiful Ferronier", Flemish painting, Impressionist works, Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee, Iva Klein and other artists. At one time the news about the exchange of works of art provoked a wide discussion in France and the world; Opponents of the temporary transfer of works to other countries defended the importance of the principle of the indivisibility of collections and warned about a possible reduction of the tourist flow to France.