It’s official. Guggenheim Abu Dhabi will open its doors in 2025, announced the Emirates’ Department of Culture and Tourism. And it’s set to be the largest Guggenheim outpost in the world.
The news was made public after a press conference was held by the Guggenheim Foundation Director Richard Armstrong in Basel Switzerland. Armstrong explained that the new museum 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”.
Joining the Louvre Abu Dhabi and Manarat Al Saadiyat, the new museum is sure to turn Abu Dhabi into the ultimate art hub. According to Armstrong, the museum has long held an active acquisition program over the years, and will open with a collection that includes over 600 works of art.
The new building has been designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry, who also designed the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. The museum will be located on Saadiyad Island.
The new building will sprawl over a 30,000 square meter space, with four levels connected by glass bridges. 13,000 square meters of space will be used to exhibit art.