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. • RELATED EVENTS: An inaugural exhibition will open on Saadiyat Island from 22 April to 20 July 2013, and three major exhibitions will be held at the Louvre in Paris from October 2013 through July 2014.