Rain of light

Self-Portrait by Vincent van Gogh. [Photo by Wang Kaihao/China Daily]

Our tour guide, Souraya Noujaim, also a curator for the exhibition, explains that they want every visitor to find something familiar and make an emotional attachment with each gallery.

According to the schedule, over the next 15 years, four temporary exhibitions will be organized at the museum every year using this thematic approach. Noujaim says there might be one focusing on ancient China in the future.

"Louvre Abu Dhabi reinvented the 18th-century premise of the universal museum (Musee de Louvre in Paris) to meet the requirements of a demanding contemporary audience," Manuel Rabate, director of Louvre Abu Dhabi, says.

"By exhibiting works from diverse cultures in the same space, our curation shows the interconnectedness of different ideologies, aesthetics, and artistic techniques ... and transports visitors through the history of humanity."

I certainly applaud the museum's ambition of enhancing our understanding of ancient civilizations. It appears to be inspired by a commonly held desire in humans, like making money too, perhaps.

If you go

Louvre Abu Dhabi

Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE Getting There: Etihad Airways offers direct flights from Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Hong Kong to Abu Dhabi.

Entry tickets: 60 dirham for adults; 30 dirham for between 13-year and 22-year-olds, and free for below 13-year olds.

Open Hours: Saturday to Wednesday 10 am to 8 pm; Thursday and Friday 10 am to 10 pm (closed on Mondays).

More information online www.louvreabudhabi.ae