Pic(k) of the week 48: LOUVRE Abu Dhabi - Where East meets West

Over the last decennia, the capital of the UAE, Abu Dhabi, has been promoting itself as the cultural center of the region. Saadiyat island which initially had several large museums planned, is meant to be the center of this. It is unclear which museums will eventually take place as most projects seems to be put on long term hold. I guess time will tell. 

What is fact however, is that the Louvre Abu Dhabi is now officially open to the public. The museum, which is the largest Art museum on the Arabian peninsular, was officially inaugurated on November 8, 2017. It looks like, Abu Dhabi paid 525 million USD to the French government for a 30 year usage of the Louvre name. 

Back to the Architecture.... the building was designed by French Architect Jean Nouvel and consists of a large 180 meter diameter perforated dome which provides a "rain of light"; as the Architect likes to call it himself.

 I invite all readers to check out this time-lapse about the construction of the Louvre Museum! 

The museum "photography policy", allows unlimited photography (without tripods) in and around the museum which is great to see and hopefully an inspiration for many others!

 The image below was framed in the middle section of the museum, where one can see the great combination of water and the amazing dome. 


Image details:
  • Fujifilm X-T20 with the XF18-55 lens
  • ISO 3200, 1/250s, 20mm (35mm full frame equivalent), f11
  • RAW development in Lightroom CC Classic
  • Nik Silver Efex Pro2 for Black and White conversion
I personally find The Louvre a perfect setting for Black and White Architectural photography; like to hear what the readers think! Even if you are not a great Art lover, the museum is definitively worth a visit only for its Architecture itself. 

More of my own Architectural photography from Abu Dhabi can be found here.

"I like to play with Architecture, it is my favorite game" - Jean Nouvel, Architectect Louvre Abu Dhabi

 Tomorrow, December 2nd, the UAE (United Arab Emirates) is celebrating its 46th birthday, exactly as old as myself... Happy National Day UAE!
BJORN

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