In Abu Dhabi, the Louvre gallery will open only in 2015

Abu Dhabi (UAE) - A branch of the Louvre gallery will open in the emirate of Abu Dhabi in 2015, and the Guggenheim museum in 2017. Local developers announced the new construction and preparation plans for both projects today, according to the AFP agency. Both locations were supposed to be completed more than a year earlier.
The original opening dates were set for 2013 and 2014. However, the emirate's authorities announced delays in work due to changes in state spending.
In October, the State Company for the Promotion of Tourism and Investment canceled shortly after the announcement of a tender for the construction of the New York Guggenheim museum branch. Local press reported then about the freezing of projects worth about 30 billion dollars (586.6 billion crowns).
According to the AP agency, the museums are being built on Saadiyat Island (literally "Island of Happiness"), which is expected to become a cultural destination for tourists from around the world interested in art and culture, as the project authors anticipate. They state that a significant portion of the work has already been completed and the collection purchases have begun.
The futuristic model of the Guggenheim museum in Abu Dhabi was created by American architect Frank Gehry, who is also the author of the Guggenheim museum in Spanish Bilbao. The complex is expected to become the largest of all the museums of the Guggenheim Foundation, which already has five such institutions around the world: in New York, Berlin, Bilbao, Las Vegas, and Venice.
Abu Dhabi, the wealthy metropolis of the United Arab Emirates, has embarked on an ambitious development plan until 2030 aimed at modernizing and diversifying the economy. Despite the global crisis, which has significantly affected the neighboring emirate of Dubai, the implementation of construction projects continues in Abu Dhabi, albeit more slowly than anticipated.
The project has been sabotaged from the beginning by more than 130 artists and writers from around the world, who demand greater protection of copyright in these newly constructed spaces. Local developers have promised to try to meet these demands.