Louvre Abu Dhabi’s permanent collection of more than 630 artworks and artefacts will be a click away by the end of this year.
The museum is building a digital archive of its entire collection, which will be available on its website for visitors to peruse.
From this week, 120 artworks can be viewed online. Along with images of artefacts, paintings or objects, the website will include historical information about the pieces, as well as details on their geography, date and medium.
Some pieces are also accompanied by audio clips used in museum tours. All the information is available in English, Arabic and French.
The online collection contains pieces from the museum’s four wings that take visitors through the ancient world, medieval period, first wave of globalisation and modernity.
Works range from Phoenician sarcophagi from the 5th century and knightly jewellery from the 16th century, to the Orientalist painting of Young Emir Studying to abstract canvases by Piet Mondrian and Cy Twombly.
The process of building the digital archive dates back to February 2019, though the pandemic has caused the museum to accelerate the project and begin sharing artworks online sooner, says Faten Rochdy, head of the resource centre unit at Louvre Abu Dhabi.
When the pandemic caused the museum to shut down from March to June, it gradually began developing its digital initiatives for the public.
However, the online collection is currently not searchable or categorised, and images are not yet optimised for detailed viewing, such as a zoom-in feature.
“We are working on enriching the data, working on artist biographies, implementing tools, filters and hyperlinks to make the data searchable,” Rochdy says.
In this first phase, however, visitors can discover elements of the works that they might not be able to appreciate in the physical displays, such as finer details in smaller artefacts, paintings and manuscripts.
“Through the images, you can see details that you cannot see in person. The online collection also gives access to artworks that are not currently exhibited, such manuscripts and textiles that are light-sensitive. They need to be kept in storage for years after an exhibition, but they can be seen on the website,” she explains.
“We want it to be a visitor resource,” Rochdy continues, adding that guests can have a “first look” online ahead of their trip to the museum. “It can build anticipation after seeing images of the works on the website."
As a young museum – only three years old – Louvre Abu Dhabi is still in the process of building both its collection and its digital archive. “The collections shared online are key for museums around the world. For us, it’s here to stay and will continue,” says Rochdy.
Other ongoing projects at the museum’s research centre unit includes the Bil Arabi initiative, a trilingual thesaurus of art history in English, Arabic and French that can be used as a reference tool for students and academics.
Scenes from Louvre Abu Dhabi's reopening in June
Louvre Abu Dhabi's online collection can be found on its website
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The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
Get inspired
Here are a couple of Valentine’s Day food products that may or may not go the distance (but have got the internet talking anyway).
Sourdough sentiments: Marks & Spencer in the United Kingdom has introduced a slow-baked sourdough loaf dusted with flour to spell out I (heart) you, at £2 (Dh9.5). While it’s not available in the UAE, there’s nothing to stop you taking the idea and creating your own message of love, stencilled on breakfast-inbed toast.
Crisps playing cupid: Crisp company Tyrells has added a spicy addition to its range for Valentine’s Day. The brand describes the new honey and chilli flavour on Twitter as: “A tenderly bracing duo of the tantalising tingle of chilli with sweet and sticky honey. A helping hand to get your heart racing.” Again, not on sale here, but if you’re tempted you could certainly fashion your own flavour mix (spicy Cheetos and caramel popcorn, anyone?).
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The biog
First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
Cracks in the Wall
Ben White, Pluto Press
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
