The Louvre Dubai

As previously noted, the Louvre is planning to sponsor a museum in Dubai. The prospect of this has the art world in an uproar. Critics of the idea say that it's completely a monetary decision.

"The Louvre is selling the use of its name to Abu Dhabi for $520 million. The building will cost a mere $108 million to build, but to slap the Louvre name on it, Abu Dhabi will have to part with more than half a billion dollars!

Is a name really worth that much? I can understand a cola maker wanting to use the Coke name or a shoe maker wanting to use the Nike name, but how does a museum justify paying $520 million to use the Louvre name?"

Full Story from ArtNewsBlog.com

The Desert Louvre?

The Louvre intends to lend its name and its art to a museum venture in Abu Dhabi, drawing harsh criticism from other museums. The fear is that art and national treasures will become commercialized and that the Louvre is being run like a corporation seeking to maximize profits rather than museum.

The full story from Bloomberg