Guggenheim Abu Dhabi
Encyclopedia
The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is a planned museum
, to be located in Abu Dhabi
, UAE
. On July 8, 2006, the city of Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, announced it had signed an agreement with the Guggenheim Foundation
in New York
to build a 30000 square metre Guggenheim Museum. It will be the world's largest Guggenheim. Frank Gehry
is to design it, with completion expected in 2013.
, just offshore of the city of Abu Dhabi. Saadiyat Island's Cultural District will house the largest single cluster of world-class cultural assets in Abu Dhabi. These will include: the Zayed National Museum
, to be designed by United Kingdom
-based construction company Foster and Partners
under the direction of Lord Norman Foster
; the Louvre Abu Dhabi
art museum designed by Jean Nouvel
; a performing arts centre designed by Zaha Hadid
; a maritime museum with concept design by Tadao Ando
and a number of arts pavilions. Guggenheim director Thomas Krens
indicated that "The Middle East is one of the world's most important emerging regions in terms of contemporary culture."
Abu Dhabi's crown prince
, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
, indicated that the "signing represents the determination of the Abu Dhabi Government to create a world-class cultural destination for its residents and visitors.
Gehry was inspired by the location and the intent, noting, "The landscape, the opportunity, the requirement, to build something that people all over the world would come to and the possible resource to accomplish it opened tracks that were not likely to be considered anywhere else. The site itself, virtually on the water or close to the water on all sides, in a desert landscape with the beautiful sea and the light quality of the place suggested some of the direction." The crown prince said of Gehry's work that "Just as Bilbao established a new level of design and excellence, Gehry's Guggenheim Abu Dhabi design brief is to push the boundaries of his own architectural practice and set the benchmark for museums."
and will also exhibit
masterworks from the Guggenheim Foundation’s global collections. All works to go on display at the museum will "respect Abu Dhabi's culture and national and Islamic heritage," the foundation said in a statement. "Our objective is not to be confrontational, but to be engaged in a cultural exchange," said Thomas Krens when asked how the boldness of contemporary art can be reconciled with conservative Muslim
values. "The Guggenheim implicitly regards all contemporary cultures and their traditions as potential partners in the field of aesthetic discourse - we are both respectful of difference and excited by it," he said. "We also believe that the Middle East is one of the world's most important emerging regions in terms of contemporary culture."
and research centre and a state-of-the-art conservation laboratory
."
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
, to be located in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
, UAE
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
. On July 8, 2006, the city of Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, announced it had signed an agreement with the Guggenheim Foundation
Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation is a nonprofit corporation founded in 1937 by philanthropist Solomon R. Guggenheim and artist Hilla von Rebay. The first museum established by the foundation was the "Museum of Non-Objective Art", which was housed in rented space on Park Avenue in New York....
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to build a 30000 square metre Guggenheim Museum. It will be the world's largest Guggenheim. Frank Gehry
Frank Gehry
Frank Owen Gehry, is a Canadian American Pritzker Prize-winning architect based in Los Angeles, California.His buildings, including his private residence, have become tourist attractions...
is to design it, with completion expected in 2013.
Location
The museum will be located on Saadiyat IslandSaadiyat Island
Saadiyat Island is a large, low lying island 500 metres off the coast of Abu Dhabi island in the UAE, currently being developed.A mixed commercial, residential, and leisure project is currently under construction on the island, expected to be completed in 2020...
, just offshore of the city of Abu Dhabi. Saadiyat Island's Cultural District will house the largest single cluster of world-class cultural assets in Abu Dhabi. These will include: the Zayed National Museum
Zayed National Museum
Zayed National Museum is a planned museum, to be located in Abu Dhabi, UAE. It will be built on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi...
, to be designed by United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-based construction company Foster and Partners
Foster and Partners
Foster + Partners is an architectural firm based in London. The practice is led by its founder and Chairman, Norman Foster, and has constructed many high-profile glass-and-steel buildings....
under the direction of Lord Norman Foster
Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank
Norman Robert Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank, OM is a British architect whose company maintains an international design practice, Foster + Partners....
; the Louvre Abu Dhabi
Louvre Abu Dhabi
The Louvre Abu Dhabi is a planned museum, to be located in Abu Dhabi, UAE. On Tuesday 7 March 2007, the Louvre in Paris announced that a new Louvre museum would be completed by 2012 in Abu Dhabi, though current expectations are that completion will be delayed until at least 2014. This is part of a...
art museum designed by Jean Nouvel
Jean Nouvel
Jean Nouvel is a French architect. Nouvel studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and was a founding member of Mars 1976 and Syndicat de l'Architecture...
; a performing arts centre designed by Zaha Hadid
Zaha Hadid
Zaha Hadid, CBE is an Iraqi-British architect.-Life and career:Hadid was born in 1950 in Baghdad, Iraq. She received a degree in mathematics from the American University of Beirut before moving to study at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London.After graduating she worked...
; a maritime museum with concept design by Tadao Ando
Tadao Ando
is a Japanese architect whose approach to architecture was once categorized by Francesco Dal Co as critical regionalism. Ando has led a storied life, working as a truck driver and boxer prior to settling on the profession of architecture, despite never having taken formal training in the field...
and a number of arts pavilions. Guggenheim director Thomas Krens
Thomas Krens
Thomas Krens is the former director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation in New York City, and currently the Guggenheim's Senior Advisor for International Affairs, overseeing the completion of the Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim Abu Dhabi...
indicated that "The Middle East is one of the world's most important emerging regions in terms of contemporary culture."
Contract
The Guggenheim press release notes that "Abu Dhabi's Tourism Development & Investment Company...will own the museum", while "[t]he Guggenheim Foundation will establish and manage" its program. William Mack, Chair of the Guggenheim Foundation, said: "It is with a keen sense of historical precedent and with an abiding commitment to cultural exchange as a bridge to international understanding that the foundation enters into this agreement to establish a Guggenheim museum in Abu Dhabi."Abu Dhabi's crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan is the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces .-Political and business career:...
, indicated that the "signing represents the determination of the Abu Dhabi Government to create a world-class cultural destination for its residents and visitors.
Design
Frank Gehry’s concept for the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum, which at 320000 square feet (29,729 m²) will be the world’s largest Guggenheim museum, is designed to accommodate approximately 130000 ft2 of exhibition space. The installation will be four storeys tall with multiple galleries stacked atop each other.Gehry was inspired by the location and the intent, noting, "The landscape, the opportunity, the requirement, to build something that people all over the world would come to and the possible resource to accomplish it opened tracks that were not likely to be considered anywhere else. The site itself, virtually on the water or close to the water on all sides, in a desert landscape with the beautiful sea and the light quality of the place suggested some of the direction." The crown prince said of Gehry's work that "Just as Bilbao established a new level of design and excellence, Gehry's Guggenheim Abu Dhabi design brief is to push the boundaries of his own architectural practice and set the benchmark for museums."
Dimensions
The total area of the museum will be 30,000 square metres (320,000 sq ft), making it the largest Guggenheim in the world. The permanent artwork collection will occupy a total area of 9474 square metre. The special exhibitions will be allocated 3395 square metre, and the proposed education centre will have a total area of 513 square metre. The rest of the museum will be over an area of 16618 square metre.Artwork
The museum will form its own major collection of contemporary artContemporary art
Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...
and will also exhibit
masterworks from the Guggenheim Foundation’s global collections. All works to go on display at the museum will "respect Abu Dhabi's culture and national and Islamic heritage," the foundation said in a statement. "Our objective is not to be confrontational, but to be engaged in a cultural exchange," said Thomas Krens when asked how the boldness of contemporary art can be reconciled with conservative Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
values. "The Guggenheim implicitly regards all contemporary cultures and their traditions as potential partners in the field of aesthetic discourse - we are both respectful of difference and excited by it," he said. "We also believe that the Middle East is one of the world's most important emerging regions in terms of contemporary culture."
Facilities
According to universes-in-universe.org, "[t]he museum will include galleries for permanent collections, galleries for special exhibitions, a Department of Architecture and Design, a Center for Art and Technology, children’s education facilities, archives, libraryLibrary
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
and research centre and a state-of-the-art conservation laboratory
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
."