Louvre Abu Dhabi hands directorship to Souraya Noujaim
New leader brings curatorial track record as museum enters second decade
Louvre Abu Dhabi has handed its directorship to a familiar pair of hands. Souraya Noujaim, an art historian and curator who spent five years running the museum’s curatorial and collections operations, will now lead the institution as it prepares for its 10th anniversary in 2027.
The Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi announced the appointment, which follows the departure of Manuel Rabate, announced in February. Rabate had led the museum since 2016 and oversaw its opening in November 2017.
Noujaim arrives with a substantial operational record. Most recently she served as director of the Department of Islamic Arts at the Louvre Museum in Paris and chief of the French Grand Department of Islamic Art Heritage, where she oversaw a collection of 18,000 Islamic artworks. Her connection to Abu Dhabi, however, predates that role. She helped develop the museum’s intellectual and curatorial vision before it opened on Saadiyat Island, then returned in February 2018 as its first scientific, curatorial and collections management director, a position she held until April 2023.
In that role she oversaw curatorial, scientific and collections activities, built the permanent collection through acquisitions, and helped establish initiatives including Art Here, the annual exhibition and prize for contemporary artists.
Her remit as director is broad. She will oversee the collection, exhibitions, research, conservation, education, public programmes and visitor experience, along with the museum’s wider institutional strategy.
“Louvre Abu Dhabi holds a special place in my professional and personal journey,” Noujaim said in a statement announcing her appointment. “Having had the privilege of contributing to the museum’s development over many years, I am honoured to return to Abu Dhabi and lead this remarkable institution into its next chapter.”
She said she planned to build on the museum’s legacy, deepen its engagement with audiences and continue expanding its collection.
Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, framed the appointment as a continuation of a long-standing relationship. “Dr Noujaim has been part of the museum’s journey from its earliest stages, helping shape its collection, scholarly foundations and distinctive universal narrative,” he said. “We are confident that Dr Noujaim’s international expertise and deep understanding of what makes Louvre Abu Dhabi unique will contribute to the museum’s role as a leading cultural institution in the region and on the global stage.”
He added that the museum, the first universal museum in the Arab world, “is a powerful reflection of our belief in culture as a bridge between people, ideas and societies”, and that since 2017 it had contributed greatly to the emirate’s status as a global cultural capital.
The appointment lands at a moment when the museum can point to a decade of measurable delivery. Since opening in November 2017, the Jean Nouvel-designed building has welcomed more than eight million visitors and staged 22 temporary exhibitions. It has held five editions of Art Here and six exhibitions at its Children’s Museum, alongside educational, research, conservation and scholarship programmes.
The composition of its permanent galleries has shifted markedly over that period. When the museum opened, roughly 30 per cent of the works on display came from its own collection, with about 70 per cent borrowed from French museums and regional lenders. The overall number of works shown has stayed broadly consistent, but nearly two-thirds of what now hangs across the museum’s four chronological sections belongs to Louvre Abu Dhabi itself. That shift reflects the growth of a permanent collection spanning thousands of years, from prehistoric objects and religious artefacts to paintings and contemporary art.
The museum was established under an intergovernmental agreement between the UAE and France and remains the first universal museum in the Arab world. Noujaim will now steer its second decade, including continued development of the permanent collection and its role as a centre for research, conservation and cultural exchange. Further details of the appointment were reported by The National at https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/art-design/2026/10/07/louvre-abu-dhabi-names-souraya-noujaim-new-director-ahead-of-10th-anniversary/
Q&A
Who is the new director of Louvre Abu Dhabi?
Souraya Noujaim, an art historian and curator who previously ran the museum's curatorial and collections operations from February 2018 to April 2023, and most recently directed the Department of Islamic Arts at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
What operational experience does she bring to the role?
She helped develop the museum's intellectual and curatorial vision before its opening, built its permanent collection through acquisitions, established the Art Here exhibition and prize, and oversaw a collection of 18,000 Islamic artworks in Paris.
What has the museum delivered since opening in November 2017?
The Jean Nouvel-designed building has welcomed more than eight million visitors, staged 22 temporary exhibitions, held five editions of Art Here and six Children's Museum exhibitions, alongside educational, research, conservation and scholarship programmes.
How has the composition of the galleries changed?
At opening, about 30 per cent of displayed works came from the museum's own collection, with roughly 70 per cent borrowed from French museums and regional lenders. Today nearly two-thirds of works across its four chronological sections belong to the museum itself.