Nestled on the thriving cultural district of Saadiyat Island, The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is set to finish by 2025, according to the Department of Culture and Tourism.

The contemporary and renowned museum was designed by architect Frank Gehry, who is also behind the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. The UAE site is said to be the latest and largest installment on the Solomon R Guggenheim Foundation’s list of international museums. DCT Abu Dhabi and Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation have collaborated to establish and develop the most expansive Guggenheim Museum in the world.

H.E. Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, said: “Guggenheim Abu Dhabi advances Abu Dhabi’s position as a dynamic centre for arts and culture. The region’s pre-eminent museum of global modern and contemporary art, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi will present an equitable platform for art from all over the world.”

Richard Armstrong, Director at Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation stated: “Today’s announcement represents a significant milestone in the realisation of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, a landmark new museum. The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, housed in Frank Gehry’s distinctive building, will be home to an expansive and evolving collection of artworks that advance multiple perspectives on the global histories of modern and contemporary art, with a particular focus on art from West Asia, North Africa, and South Asia.”

Frank Gehry, commented: “It is truly thrilling to see this project enter into this new phase. I am immensely proud to work closely with our partners, DCT Abu Dhabi and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, to create a home for their ground-breaking cultural program. I hope that this building is embraced by the people of the UAE and that this work will endure as a landmark for the country for many years to come.”

The 300,000 square metre museum will be an architectural landmark inspired by the Emirati culture with its gallery spaces spread across four levels linked by glass bridges and a central atrium at its core. The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi was initially announced in 2006 with the aim of completion by 2012 and was then pushed to a later date.

Source: The National 29.09.2021