Abu Dhabi's Louvre speeds up digital leap powered by coronavirus

Abu Dhabi's Louvre is "closed until further notice", as the sign on its website says, but now more than ever the museum is committed to "cultural connections" between people and villages, which must be done strictly online because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

“Louvre Abu Dhabi has always been about the universal connections that bind us across cultures, histories and time periods, proving that we have far more in common than we know,” Manuel Rabaté, Director Louvre Abu Dhabi tells Efe.

Now these connections are more important than ever amid a pandemic that keeps people, countries and continents apart. “These new circumstances have encouraged us to accelerate our digital programs so that we can continue to share our content,” he added.

The museum’s website offers videos, audio and images of art and archaeological pieces, as well as educational activities for children.

For example, the large granite stele in which the name of the pharaoh Tutankhamun is written with hieroglyphs can be seen in all its details on a video and its history and importance is told in an over one-minute audio.

However, virtual visitors cannot enjoy the historical tour designed by the works, arranged in the museum to guide them on a journey from prehistoric times to the present day in twelve chapters, through galleries gathered under a dome of 180 meters and 7,500 tons.

The ceiling, representing a palm grove, was designed by French architect Jean Nouvel and allows sunlight to filter through the geometric forms, inspired by Islamic art and the tradition of the United Arab Emirates.

The museum, located in the Saadiyat Island, surrounded by the waters of the Persian Gulf, is one of the few touristic attractions the capital has to offer compared to its fellow Emirati main competitor Dubai.

That is why the Louvre wants to reopen its doors as soon as possible, when visitors can once again travel to the United Arab Emirates, which has already started operating flights to other countries but has not yet allowed the arrival of foreign tourists. 

When it does, the digital experience will not be cut short, Rabaté promises, but will combine in-person visits with virtual content, after this first push that has forced the museum and the art world in general to make the leap to the Internet.