New York will have its space in Abu Dhabi with the best of the art from this wonderful city. Among the vast array of projects in Abu Dhabi, bringing one of the most iconic museums is one of the most attractive. Although the Louvre also has its place in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, the Guggenheim Museum is one of the most promising constructions.
Guggenheim will also have a place in this dream enclave of the United Arab Emirates and expands its branches that are already operating in Bilbao, Venice, and New York. But in this city, the iconic museum will have another feature that stands out from the rest. As announced by the project managers, this will be a futuristic building that will allow for “an experiment in the inventive design of 21st-century museums.”
A part of New York in Abu Dhabi, the best of elite art in the emirate.
The launch of this innovative project in Abu Dhabi was announced in 2021 by the Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT Abu Dhabi), which confirmed that the project is in the hands of the iconic Frank Gehry studio. This space will allow the construction of the “main museum of modern and contemporary art in the region,” where the best artworks in the world will come together.
This place, which is set to open in 2025, is located at the epicenter of the Saadiyat Cultural District. In this way, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi joins the network of cultural institutions in the capital, which also includes representatives of artistic culture such as the Louvre, New York University, the Manarat Al Saadiyat cultural center, and the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation.
What will the Guggenheim in Abu Dhabi look like on the inside
This impressive museum will be part of the museums of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, which promote the communion of modern and contemporary global art from different cultures. This building will feature approximately 30,000 square meters, bringing together the most representative art collections from West Asia, North Africa, and South Asia.
In addition, this building will be a space for recognized and emerging artists from the culture of the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf to interact with the local public, create works, and display them in its incredible halls. “The museum will also play a civic role through its mission to raise greater interest in global modern and contemporary art, fostering diversity and inclusion in meaningful cultural exchange,” its creators said.
The future of art in Abu Dhabi.
Although the project is still in its early stages, the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi launched, at the time of its announcement in 2021, three exhibitions held in the city with selected works from the collection to represent the significance of its arrival in the Emirati territories. Additionally, the museum has a public program that highlights contemporary artists from around the world in which, as previously mentioned, the rich exchange of cultures and artworks is promoted.
In this way, the Saadiyat Cultural District emerges as one of the sites where the projection of art and cultural exchange takes place in the UAE. Therefore, the construction of other landmarks began, among which stand out the Zayed National Museum, dedicated to celebrating the life and achievements of the founding father of the United Arab Emirates, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and the Abraham Family House, a multicultural place of worship.