'The capital talking to the world': Louvre director talks strategy on museum's second birthday

The Louvre Abu Dhabi’s director tells us about

Two years ago today, Louvre Abu Dhabi opened its doors to the public. Since then, the museum has welcomed more than two million visitors, 70 per cent of which are tourists.

This figure is a point of pride for the museums' director Manuel Rabate. Speaking to The National, he acknowledges the essential role Louvre Abu Dhabi plays in turning the capital into a global cultural destination.

“Abu Dhabi, being a major city, needs to have its full-fledged museum strategy, and we are also part of this incredible statement of the capital talking to the world,” he says.

But Rabate says another key mandate for the museum is promoting arts and culture education in the local community. Fulfilling this mission comes in many forms: the museum hosts 15-20 school trips daily, adding up to 60,000 student visitors so far; it launched a Children’s Museum that has brought in 45,000 visitors since July; and it is currently developing a research centre where art professionals can access the museum’s stored collections and archives.

Tonight [Monday], to mark its second-year anniversary, the museum is hosting its first fundraising gala, inviting both corporate and individual donations to help bolster its educational initiatives. "We launched a gala dinner to raise funds around all our education activities, because we think this is one of our core missions," he says.

Looking ahead, Rabate notes the importance of building a robust cultural ecosystem with other institutions. "We cannot do it alone. It is about finding our place in the network of academia – New York University, Sorbonne Abu Dhabi, Zayed University, but also all the northern Emirates," he says, adding that he looks forward to the openings of Zayed University and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. "We are waiting for them with impatience… I'm really craving to have them close to us."

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