Manarat Al Saadiyat ( “place of enlightenment,”) is a cultural community centre owned and operated by the Department of Culture and Tourism of Abu Dhabi. It consists of an art studio, a photographic studio and a space for rent. Louvre Abu Dhabi, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and Zayed National Museums are located in Manarat Al Saadiyat. The centre also hosts special events, art fairs, panel discussions,talks, workshops, and educational initiatives from time to time. Occasional workshops include printmaking, figure drawing, and robotics; there are also one-off events like comedy nights, star-gazing, and yoga classes.
Art Zone
Art Studio
Art Studio at Manarat Al Saadiyat is a multi-disciplinary arts space offering hands-on arts education programmes, art classes, drop-in sessions, workshops and outreach initiatives to students, adults, children and families in the Emirate. The emphasis on photography and multimedia. Fully equipped studios for ongoing classes, an open plan collaborative space for adults and interactive features make Art Studio the perfect place for creating art. Art Studio also hosts an arts supply store, making it easier for young artists to continue their practice at home. The arts education programmes continually adapt and respond to the needs of the community and dedicated outreach programmes such as helping teenagers develop their art portfolios, or proposing hands-on classes for people of determination continue to thrive.
In November, every year, the centre hosts an international art fair.
Cultural Hub
Photography Studio
The Photography Studio now offers an essential platform for photography enthusiasts, professionals and artists to improve their skills, expose them to new techniques and the latest approaches in the field, and assist them in maintaining a steady and professional growth of their talent. Photography Studio encourages the participation of local, regional, and international photographers by hosting community-driven photography exhibitions as well as developing and promoting a year-round calendar of activities and programmes. The studio offers workshops and courses conducted by professional photographers, along with a large workshop space, a makeup and dressing room, a digital lab and a studio available for rent. Master classes led by regionally and internationally established photographers will include studio lighting, smartphone photography, videography, photo editing, black and white photography, photography for all levels, city-scape photography, still-life photography, fine art photography and food photography, amongst others. Every Wednesday, from 6pm to 8pm, the studio will host meet-ups for enthusiasts who are free to attend. They will be given an opportunity to brainstorm ideas, exchange tips and techniques, share a photo of the week, ask about different equipment and gather information related to photography. The Photography Studio has 250-seat auditorium and three gallery spaces for temporary exhibitions. The new café and brasserie, Larte, offers a modern interpretation on northern Italian and European classics. There is also a gift shop/
The Louvre Abu Dhabi is an art museum located on Saadiyat Island, or “Island of Happiness.” in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. This island is connected by a bridge to the mainland. This site will eventually be a “cultural district” bristling with hotels, condos, malls and other museums, including an Abu Dhabi Guggenheim.
Louvre Abu Dhabi Agreement Between The UAE And France
It is operated under an agreement between the UAE and France. The agreement signed in March 2007 allows the use of the Louvre brand name till 2037 for a reported $520 million. Under the agreement France would loan artworks and provide management expertise for 30.5 years. This time period will give the museum time to assemble a permanent collection — the acquisition process is well underway — and create its own version of a global art history. The deal would also see wider cultural exchange and high-profile collaborations between the two countries.
Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum
The museum is approximately 24,000 square metres in size, with 8,000 square metres of galleries. The galleries are set in 55 detached buildings. The centerpiece of museum architecture is a huge silvery dome that appears to float above the museum-city. Despite its apparent weightlessness, the dome weighs around 7,500 tons. That’s about the same weight as the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
The museum showcases artworks around the world, bridging the gap between the Eastern and Western art. By 2019, the Louvre Abu Dhabi had already attracted 2 million visitors, making it the most visited museum in the Arab world.
Louvre Abu Dhabi
Louvre Abu Dhabi Silvery Dome
The centerpiece of museum architecture is a huge silvery dome that appears to float above the museum-city. Despite its apparent weightlessness, the dome weighs around 7,500 tons. That’s about the same weight as the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The domed roof of the museum features nearly 8,000 metal stars set in a geometric pattern, which allows shards of sunlight to enter, casting shimmering rays throughout the interior.
Louvre Abu Dhabi Exhibits
Louvre Abu Dhabi Exhibits
Many exhibits come from its sister gallery in Paris, while others are resolutely Arabian. The story of humanity is told in 12 chapters, starting with ancient Egyptian and Cypriot antiquities and ending with contemporary showstoppers such as Ai WeiWei’s Fountain of Light.
Louvre Abu Dhabi Exhibits
Leonardo da Vinci’s La Belle Ferronnière, one of only 15 known paintings by him, is there. There are also Vincent Van Gogh’s 1887 self-portrait, Claude Monet’s The Saint-Lazare Station and Jacques-Louis David’s huge Napoleon Crossing the Alps. There are also modern artwork by art heavyweights such as Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol and Cy Twombly.
Aside from permanent collections, each year the Louvre Abu Dhabi hosts four temporary exhibitions co-organised with its French partners, meaning an ever-changing showcase of international talent. Sound is as important here as vision, so music and multicultural performances underpin the creative output from the museum’s auditorium.
Louvre Abu Dhabi
Louvre Abu Dhabi Collecting Photography
In 2012, the Louvre Abu Dhabi started collecting photography, making its first acquisitions in the field, including works by Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey, Roger Fenton and George Wilson Bridges. The museum also acquired a sculpture of a Bactrian princess dating from the third millennium BC, a pavement and fountain set from the early Ottoman period, as well as the paintings Breton Boys Wrestling (1888) by Paul Gauguin and The Subjugated Reader (1928) by René Magritte.
