The long-awaited Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, located on Saadiyat Island, will open on 11 December, announced the Department of Culture and Tourism-Abu Dhabi today. Plans for the new mega museum were initially unveiled in 2006; the cost is undisclosed.
Designed by the late US architect Frank Gehry, the new museum is set to be the largest of the Guggenheim museum network, which includes locations in Venice and Bilbao alongside the original museum in New York. It sits on a promontory a short walk from the Louvre Abu Dhabi which opened in 2017. Other museums on the island include the Zayed National Museum and the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi.
“Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is a museum of modern and contemporary art that connects cultures, inspires people, and celebrates art from the 1960s to the present, with a focus on West Asia, North Africa, South Asia, and the wider region,” says a statement.
The museum houses 30 galleries in total, encompassing 11,600 sq. m of interior gallery space and 23,000 sq. m of outdoor exhibition areas.
“Guests will be invited to engage with art on their own terms, shaping individual pathways through galleries that consider major vectors of art since 1960, such as Abstractions, Popular Culture, Land, Language, and Storytelling,” the statement adds.
In a previous interview, Stephanie Rosenthal, the director of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi project, pledged to make the museum “one of the most progressive institutions of the 21st century.”
On LinkedIn today, she adds: “Our team has evolved into one of the most remarkably diverse groups I have ever worked with, bringing together unique cultures, disciplines, and perspectives. Together, we have navigated complex challenges, adapted to constant change, and reached extraordinary milestones.”
The museum launch is set against turmoil in the Middle East amidst the US-Israel war in Iran, which saw a postponed and adapted edition of Art Dubai in May following Iranian retaliatory strikes on US allies in the Gulf. The premiere of Frieze Abu Dhabi is still scheduled for November 2026.
