Masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci and Vincent van Gogh will be among 300 works displayed at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, UAE, a report said.

The museum, built at a cost of €500 million ($630 million) and set to open in December next year, will feature paintings and sculptures from 13 of France's most renowned collections spanning from pre-Bronze Age to pop art, said a report in the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

"This will be the first time many of these works will travel to Abu Dhabi or even the Middle East, and are a rare opportunity to see important art from French museums," said Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, chairman of the organisation behind the project.

The loaned works include da Vinci's Portrait of an Unknown Woman, Claude Monet's Saint Lazare Station and Andy Warhol's Big Electric Chair, as well as ancient statues, vases and masks from across Asia and Africa.

Many of France's grand museums, including the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay and the Palace of Versailles will loan art to Abu Dhabi as part of a 30-year collaboration with the emirate worth €1 billion ($1.3 billion).

French Culture Minister Fleur Pellerin said the loaning of the works was 'an acknowledgement of both the extraordinary richness of our national collections and the expertise of our museums'.

The 64,000 sq m Louvre Abu Dhabi, built on the island of Saadiyet, will have 6,000 sq m dedicated to permanent installations and 2,000 sq m set aside for temporary exhibitions.

Among artworks from antiquity heading to Abu Dhabi are a 4,000-year-old statue of Mesopotamian ruler Gudea, a figurine of King Ramses II from Egypt's 19th dynasty, and a 16th century ornate Nigerian salt seller.