Sheikh is trying to buy the name of the hall in the Louvre in Abu Dhabi for 25 million euros Automatic translate

ABU DHABI. In France, some interesting details of the relationship between the authorities of the United Arab Emirates and the leadership Louvre Museum . An article published today in the left-wing French newspaper Libération says that about 200 works of art purchased for the new Louvre branch in Abu Dhabi were on display in the Saadiyat Island last month. In addition, a letter written on February 15, 2012 by Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnun Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Administration for Tourism and Culture, and former Louvre Director Henri Loiret, leaked to the newspapers.

Project of the Louvre branch in Abu Dhabi

From these incredible revelations, it became known that the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum, founded in 2007, received more than 25 million euros for one of the Pavillon de Flore halls to be named after Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder of the United Arab Emirates. This money was allocated in addition to the 1 billion euros that the UAE paid for the actual implementation of the project, designed for thirty years.

According to the original plan, Pavillon de Flore was supposed to house the restorers of the research center. The change in the target nature of this premises led to the fact that scientists had to be relocated to another building, which was supposed to be used to host numerous stores of the largest museums in Paris. Later, however, difficulties arose due to the fact that the construction of the new proposed house for restorers was frozen by the Sarkozy government due to lack of funding. The Louvre Abu Dhabi is still negotiating with the aim of finding another suitable project in which it will be possible to invest 25 million euros in honor of Sheikh Zayed.

Another complaint outlined in the letter was how the works of art were bought for the Louvre Abu Dhabi. An analysis of financial activity showed that, on average, of the 40 million euros allocated to buy exhibits for Abu Dhabi, about 800,000 euros per year was spent only on travel expenses to find suitable jobs. In addition, it was assumed that the exhibits would be purchased on behalf of and at the initiative of the Emirates authorities, however, as it turned out, the list of purchased works was pre-compiled by the Agence France-Muséums museum agency, which carried out contract work on the part of France, while representatives of the Gulf country felt an insufficient degree of involvement in the buying process.

Another claim made by the Arab side was that Agency staff almost did not participate in preparations for the opening of the museum, which is scheduled for 2016. All work is carried out from an office in Paris, while only two employees from France are constantly working in the Emirates.

Libération quotes the French Minister of Culture, who seems to be trying to distance herself from the Museum Agency, saying that the ministry did not know anything about the problems between Agence France-Muséums and Abu Dhabi and had no influence on them.

However, some analysts in France believe that the letter to the newspapers was leaked at the initiative of the Ministry itself, which is thus trying to gain control of the Museum Agency.

Anna Sidorova © Gallerix.ru