It's official: Guggenheim Abu Dhabi to open on December 11

Guggenheim Abu Dhabi will officially open its doors on December 11, the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi announced on Tuesday.

Designed by the late Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate Frank Gehry, the museum is located on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, a meeting point between land and sea. It's shaped by Abu Dhabi’s artistic landscape and designed to reflect the UAE's stories and beyond, encouraging curiosity among younger generations about modern and contemporary art.

Since 2009, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi has been building a growing collection of modern and contemporary art that will reflect and advance Abu Dhabi’s role as a catalyst for creative production and innovation in the arts. 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 museum joins a growing community of museums and cultural institutions in Saadiyat Cultural District, including Louvre Abu Dhabi, Zayed National Museum, Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, and teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, positioning the district as one of the world’s most significant concentrations of cultural institutions.

The building features 30 galleries that unfold across the interior, connected by a central atrium and ten sculptural cones that punctuate the building’s dynamic skyline. Nine are clad in stainless steel mesh and one in onyx and glass. Reaching heights of up to 88 metres, the sculptural cones provide natural ventilation and shade, enhancing the building’s energy efficiency while articulating its bold silhouette.

Spanning 11,600 square metres of interior gallery space and 23,000 square metres of outdoor exhibition areas, the landmark encompasses a total built-up area of 80,000 square metres, reinforcing its role as one of the most significant museum developments, suited to the impressive size, variety of media, and experimental character of art since 1960.

"Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is a defining moment in our cultural journey. The museum is shaped by the emirate’s long-held conviction that culture is the most enduring bridge between people and a building block for forward-looking societies," said Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi.