An island oasis, poised to become the world’s newest art mecca, aims to bring curatorial VIPs to the UAE.
BlackBook
July 31, 2008
Brace yourselves -- the Louvre and the Guggenheim are moving to Abu Dhabi. A Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim and a Jean Nouvel-helmed Louvre will soon be cultural hot spots on Saadiyat Island, a 10.4 square mile “island of happiness” (both literal translation and marketing slogan) less than half a mile from Abu Dhabi’s shores. The island, which has, until now, been totally undeveloped, will over the next 15 years become a luxury community complete with residences, hotels and resorts, museums, restaurants and shops, a performing arts center and even a New York University satellite campus. While its main purpose is to boost tourism to the UAE, developers expect a year-round population of 150,000.
Never before has a perfume bottle been conceived by an architect, let alone legendary draftsman Jean Nouvel. As such, the design for L’Homme Yves Saint Laurent is, well, unique. It’s also a towering presence, explicitly phallic. Says Nouvel of his design, “The bottle symbolizes a fully assumed virility, while the fine glass creates a contrast implying a kind of fragility and softness.” Indeed. The new bottle isn’t available until May, but we’re guessing it’ll give heretofore king of corporeal design 
