Louvre Abu Dhabi will open to visitors this year, though an official opening date is yet to be announced.

The Jean Nouvel-designed building will be the first branch of the Louvre to open outside France.

Its permanent collection will comprise more than 600 pieces of art, displayed across 23 state-of-the-art galleries.

Drawn from civilisations from all around the world, the works will tell the story of shared human experience from ancient times to the present day.

The permanent collection will be complemented by approximately 300 masterpieces on loan from key French institutions, including works by da Vinci, Monet, Van Gogh and Matisse.