‘Desert Louvre’ Plans Cause Uproar in France
Travel Blog • Michael Yessis • 03.12.07 | 7:41 AM ET
What can $1.3 billion buy? For Abu Dhabi, it’s the rights “to borrow the Louvre’s name and hundreds of its artworks, as well as treasures from the Picasso Museum, Pompidou Center, Chateau de Versailles and other French museums,” according to the Washington Post. It’s also a way for Abu Dhabi to compete with neighboring Dubai for tourists. For France, however, the transaction has brought on a heated national discussion about how to handle its renowned cultural assets.
Molly Moore writes in the Post:
“Appalling!” declared Daniel Alcouffe, 68, an honorary curator of the Louvre who headed its decorative arts department for nearly two decades. He echoed the outrage expressed by some of the country’s most prominent art experts and historians. “It’s a shame to see France selling out its heritage,” he said.
The “Desert Louvre,” as the French press has dubbed the deal, is part of a revolutionary initiative by France to expand its global influence through its vast cultural heritage and holdings—the one realm where it remains a dominant world power—in the face of its shrinking diplomatic and economic clout.
French President Jacques Chirac defends the project as a way to help build a cultural bridge between the West and Islam.
There are limits, though, to how far France will go with the initiative. Henri Loyrette, director of the Louvre, said the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo will “never be loaned out.” That’s a relief for the millions of tourists who visit the Louvre each year, mostly to see those two masterpieces.
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Michael Yessis is the cofounder and coeditor-in-chief of World Hum.
