The soft power of big art

Abstract

My final dissertation seeks to demonstrate what a powerful instrument culture can be. In order to prove that cultural institutions may play a relevant role in international relations, I chose to take the establishment of the Louvre Abu Dhabi museum as my case study. The Louvre Abu Dhabi is the first Louvre museum branch abroad, established as a result of a bilateral agreement between France and the United Arab Emirates. However this new museum is more than a mere cultural institution as its establishment enables both France and the United Arab Emirates to increase their power and influence. With the support of data and facts, I will show the effects this project will have on its participants. The impact of the project will be presented on two levels. Firstly, I will show the implications the project will bring through the three-fold lens of soft power, place branding and cultural diplomacy. Secondly, I will focus on the effects the project will have on the economic and political sphere of the nations involved. For a better understanding of the implications and effects, the first part of my dissertation will provide the theoretical framework of concepts that will be employed throughout my work along with the presentation of context and background of the project.