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French art in Mideast desert

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published March 7, 2007

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - France's storied Louvre museum, home to priceless artworks like the Mona Lisa, said Tuesday that it will open a new Louvre in this Persian Gulf boomtown, prompting outcries from some who accuse the museum of trading France's patrimony for $1.3-billion in oil money.

The 30-year agreement, signed by French Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres and the head of Abu Dhabi's tourism authority, Sheik Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, opens the way for the Louvre Abu Dhabi to display thousands of works from some of France's best museums.

The works will be housed in a huge flying saucer-shaped museum designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, which will be erected on the Abu Dhabi waterfront, opening sometime after 2012.

Abu Dhabi's rulers are positioning the Louvre as the centerpiece of a cultural district expected to attract millions of well-heeled tourists and diversify its oil-dominated economy.

De Vabres said the venture represents the globalization of French culture, the first step in a long-term cooperation with the wealthy Persian Gulf region.

He promised that the Paris Louvre would not sell any of its 35,000-piece collection.

But prominent figures in the French art world have accused their government of exploiting art for trade and diplomacy and said lending art will overburden French museums.

The ruling sheiks of Abu Dhabi have agreed to spend a staggering sum to bring the Louvre to this fast-developing Arab capital. France will receive $525-million for the use of the Louvre brand alone, plus a gift of $33-million to renovate a wing of the Paris Louvre, which will house Islamic works of art.

[Last modified March 7, 2007, 01:14:34]