What Is Guggenheim Abu Dhabi?

The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is an art museum that will be located in the Saadiyat Island district of Abu Dhabi, which is an emerging global cultural hub that houses some of the finest galleries, museums, and performing art venues in the country. Guggenheim Abu Dhabi will also serve as a forum for cultural dialogue, bringing together curators, architects, and artists.

Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Collections/Exhibitions

The collections of Guggenheim Abu Dhabi will feature artworks of all forms from across the globe, dating from the 1960s to the present day. Guggenheim aims to be at the forefront of scholarships in a number of art fields, including the history of art in the Middle East, specifically for the 20th and 21st centuries.

Several commissions have been created specifically for the Guggenheim museum and will reinforce the museum’s commitment to supporting artists and their works. The museum takes inspiration from the massive industrial studio spaces and is designed to reflect the massive scale at which a majority of contemporary artists work.

Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Architecture, Design and Construction

The plans for the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi building presents a contemporary and unconventional design, true to the spirit of Guggenheim. Renowned American architect Frank Gehry is in charge of the design, with New York City-based L’Observatoire International taking charge of the lighting. Gehry’s design includes a number of exhibition galleries, a conservation laboratory, a facility for education and research, a center for art and technology, and a center for contemporary Islamic, Middle Eastern, and Arab culture.

Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Layout & Location

The layout is unlike any other traditional museum and will include galleries of varying shapes, sizes, and character. This offers curators a great deal of flexibility and creativity to organize exhibitions in shapes and dimensions that would previously not have been envisioned.

Clusters of galleries will be connected to each other using catwalks and will be laid out around a covered central courtyard. Vertical clusters of galleries will also be present on top of the central courtyard, resulting in a confluence of horizontal and vertical spaces for showcasing artworks. The design also incorporates design, including natural ventilation and cooling which is inspired by the traditional wind towers present in the Middle East.

Located on the northern beaches of Abu Dhabi, the museum will be flanked on three sides by the Persian Gulf. Parts of the building will be 4-stories tall, with galleries stacked on top of each other.