A chronological history of art that assembles chef d’oeuvres from all artistic disciplines around the globe and throughout the ages.

The Louvre Abu Dhabi, which has aroused great curiosity since plans were first announced for the groundbreaking museum in 2007, will unveil a selected part of its nascent collection in April 2013. While the building that will house the museum collection, designed by architect Jean Nouvel, is already well- known, this book —the first to be dedicated to the museum’s collection — allows the reader to discover the universal spirit that permeates and incarnates the birth of this new museum. The growing collection, presented here for the first time, best captures and expresses the essence and spirit of the museum itself.

These 300 works, reproduced in exceptionally high-quality photographs commissioned for the publication, open a dialogue between the diverse world cultures and their artistic expressions, from the most antiquated to the ultra contemporary, ranging from archaeological treasures to groundbreaking works of contemporary art. All artistic traditions are present, from Ancient Egypt and Greco-Roman art to Islamic art and grand Asian statuary, from works by Bellini and Murillo to Manet or Mondrian, and masterpieces from the European Renaissance or an Art Deco ensemble, to Indian miniatures or paintings by Yan Pei-Ming.

The works are analyzed in their cultural context, highlighting their particularities, while simultaneously placing them at the crossroads of the great cultures that comprise the museum’s collections.

With contributions from a team of authors including members of the scientific team at Agence France-Muséums, the curators of the Louvre, and associated specialists from other leading French museums.

Laurence des Cars has been curatorial Director of Agence France-Muséums since 2007 and is senior general heritage curator. She is coauthor of Nineteenth Century French Art (Flammarion, 2007). She was a curator at the Musée d’Orsay from 1994–2007 and has organized numerous successful exhibitions including "The Spectacular Art of Jean-Léon Gérôme" (J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles).