Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Opens December 11: 28 Galleries Designed by the Late Frank Gehry, Tickets Now on Sale

On July 28, 2026, the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT) announced that Guggenheim Abu Dhabi would open on Friday, December 11. It is a museum of modern and contemporary art on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), designed by the late Pritzker Prize–winning architect Frank Gehry. According to DCT’s October 5 announcement, the building has 28 galleries, 11,600 m² of indoor exhibition space and 23,000 m² of outdoor exhibition space. Based on announcements by DCT and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, this article covers the architecture, the Saadiyat Cultural District, the collection policy, the opening program and ticket information.

Museums bearing the Guggenheim name are located in New York, Venice and Bilbao, and the new Abu Dhabi museum joins this group. The Saadiyat Cultural District, where the new museum stands, is also home to Louvre Abu Dhabi, Zayed National Museum and Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, as well as teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi (DCT announcement). teamLab’s facilities in Japan are introduced in our guide to teamLab facilities, and those abroad in our article on immersive digital art facilities overseas.

Opening announcement: DCT goes public on July 28

The opening date was announced by DCT. DCT’s announcement, dated July 28 and published by the Abu Dhabi Media Office, states that Guggenheim Abu Dhabi will open its doors on Friday, December 11, 2026. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation also posted an announcement with the same headline in the press release section of its official website.

In the announcement, DCT Chairman Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak described the museum as a defining moment in the emirate’s cultural journey. Mariët Westermann, director and CEO of the Foundation, said the museum will be a source of wonder, a hub of connection and a place of curiosity and joy.

In an announcement on September 29, 2021, DCT had said the museum was on track for completion in 2025. It will now open in December 2026.

On August 4, DCT announced the appointment of Valerie Hillings as the museum’s founding director. From 2009 to 2018, Hillings served as curator and associate director of curatorial affairs for the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Project at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. Since 2018, she has been director of the North Carolina Museum of Art in the United States. The press materials do not say when she will take up the post.

Architecture: Ten cones create shade and breezes

The exterior is defined by 10 cones that animate the building’s silhouette. According to DCT’s July 28 announcement, the cones rise up to 88 m; nine are clad in stainless steel mesh and one in onyx and glass. The cones provide natural ventilation and shade. According to the October 5 announcement, they create shaded public spaces, draw warm air upward and send cool breezes below, making the surrounding microclimate more comfortable.

Inside are 28 galleries with 11,600 m² of indoor exhibition space. The outdoor exhibition space covers 23,000 m², and the total building area is 84,000 m² (DCT announcement of October 5). The galleries are connected by a central atrium. The August 4 announcement says the outdoor exhibition spaces will be located inside the cones and on the terraces surrounding the building.

Note that the July 28 announcement gave 30 galleries and a total built-up area of 80,000 m², while the October 5 announcement gives 28 galleries and a total building area of 84,000 m². The indoor and outdoor exhibition space figures are the same in both. This article uses the figures from the newer announcement. The press materials do not explain why the figures changed.

The design process: Site visits and models

DCT’s October 5 announcement explains the design approach. From the earliest stages, Gehry and the design team visited the site many times to study how people gather, move and experience the emirate. From the outset, the design was guided by an artist-centered approach. Gehry Partners worked through repeated physical models and design studies.

The site also shaped the design. The museum is surrounded by water, where land meets sea. According to the announcement, its relationship with the shoreline informed the building’s orientation, the movement of people and the placement of public spaces. The design extends beyond the gallery walls to include shaded courtyards and terraced outdoor spaces.

Meaghan Lloyd, a partner at Gehry Partners, described the museum as an expression of Frank Gehry’s love for Abu Dhabi and his deep respect for its vision. Chairman Al Mubarak said Abu Dhabi has always understood that culture shapes who it is and how it connects with the world.

Saadiyat Cultural District: Alongside the Louvre and the national museum

The Saadiyat Cultural District is a cluster of cultural institutions at the heart of Saadiyat Island. Visit Abu Dhabi, the emirate’s official tourism website, describes it as home to some of the world’s leading cultural institutions. While noting that it can be explored in a day, the site recommends at least two full days, with one to two hours per institution. The site describes Guggenheim Abu Dhabi as the world’s largest Guggenheim.

Among the district’s institutions, Louvre Abu Dhabi opened in 2017 (Abu Dhabi Media Office). Zayed National Museum is the UAE’s national museum, designed, according to Visit Abu Dhabi, by Pritzker Prize winner Norman Foster of Foster + Partners. A 2024 Abu Dhabi Media Office article describes Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi as taking visitors on a 13.8-billion-year journey, and Manarat Al Saadiyat as a hub for creative artistic expression.

On admission, Visit Abu Dhabi says that visitors under 18 can enter most museums on Saadiyat free of charge year-round. It also promotes the “Museum Pass,” a combined ticket covering a choice of two or three of Zayed National Museum, Louvre Abu Dhabi and Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi. As of October 25, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is not included in the information on this pass.

Collection: Art since 1960, collected since 2009

According to DCT, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi has been building a collection of modern and contemporary art since 2009. It spans a wide range of media, including painting, sculpture, installation, photography, moving image and new media. DCT says the building was designed to accommodate the scale, diversity of media and experimental nature of art made since 1960.

The galleries are organized around themes such as “Abstractions,” “Popular Culture,” “Land,” “Language” and “Storytelling” (DCT announcement of July 28). On the official website’s top page, five words appear under the heading “The Collections”: Materialities, Storytelling, Transcending, Abstractions and Popular Culture.

The Foundation’s Westermann describes the collection as uniquely local and global, anchored in the region while including works from every continent. In its 2021 announcement, DCT described it as a global collection focused on West Asia, North Africa and South Asia (WANASA). The August 4 announcement likewise indicates a policy of highlighting artists from around the world.

Meanwhile, in its July announcement, DCT said specific works in the collection and new commissions would be announced in the coming months. Visit Abu Dhabi’s FAQ also says the size and details of the collection have not yet been announced.

Opening program: An exhibition on Gehry

According to the October 5 announcement, the opening program will include an exhibition focusing on Frank Gehry. Through original sketches made over many years, early handmade models and archival materials, it will trace how Gehry’s vision developed in response to Abu Dhabi and took shape as a museum. The announcement does not give the exhibition’s title or dates.

On pre-opening activities, DCT said in its July announcement that public programs continue across the UAE. The official website’s top page shows photos of the 2024 “Majlis Program” and community workshops. DCT announcements published by the Abu Dhabi Media Office through October 25 make no mention of opening exhibitions other than the Gehry exhibition or of opening-day events.

Tickets: On sale on the official website

DCT’s October 5 announcement says tickets are on sale on the official website (guggenheimabudhabi.ae) for visitors who want to be among the first to visit. On prices, an article distributed in September by the UAE news agency WAM (Emirates News Agency) reported that general admission is 70 dirhams, with free entry for visitors under 18, UAE students, and citizens and residents aged 60 and over.

Opening hours are not given in the DCT announcements reviewed for this article. Please check them on the official website before visiting, along with ticket categories and purchase conditions.

Opening date: Friday, December 11, 2026
Venue: Saadiyat Island (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates)
Architect: Frank Gehry (Gehry Partners)
Scale: 28 galleries; 11,600 m² indoor exhibition space; 23,000 m² outdoor exhibition space; total building area 84,000 m² (DCT announcement of October 5, 2026)
Admission: General 70 dirhams; free for visitors under 18, UAE students, and citizens and residents aged 60 and over (according to WAM)
Director: Valerie Hillings
Opening announced by: Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (July 28, 2026)
Official website: https://guggenheimabudhabi.ae/en

Editor’s perspective

Lining up the published figures shows that the outdoor exhibition space (23,000 m²) is about twice the indoor space (11,600 m²). The August 4 announcement places the outdoor exhibition spaces inside the cones and on the surrounding terraces, and the October 5 announcement explains that the cones create shade and air flow that make the courtyards and terraces comfortable. The design can be read as building into the very form of the structure a way to use outdoor space for exhibitions in a hot climate.

The project’s timeline is also worth noting. Collecting began in 2009, and in 2021 DCT anticipated completion in 2025. Founding director Hillings served as the project’s curator at the Foundation from 2009, when collecting began, until 2018. On the other hand, the number of galleries and the building area differ between the July and October announcements. Since the press materials do not explain why, these figures need to be checked against official materials after the opening.

The pricing partly overlaps with district policy. Among the free categories reported by WAM, free entry for under-18s matches Visit Abu Dhabi’s note that most museums on Saadiyat are free year-round for visitors under 18. However, as of October 25, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi was not included in the information on the “Museum Pass,” the combined ticket for three of the district’s museums. How its admission will be combined with the district’s other museums should be checked in future official announcements. Developments over admission fees at museums in Japan are covered in our article on the national museums’ admission fee revisions.

Frequently asked questions

When does Guggenheim Abu Dhabi open?

It opens on Friday, December 11, 2026. DCT announced the date on July 28 and gave the same date in its October 5 announcement. Tickets are on sale on the official website.

What kind of art can be seen?

The focus is modern and contemporary art since 1960, spanning painting, sculpture, installation, photography, moving image and new media. The galleries are organized around themes such as abstraction, popular culture and storytelling. DCT says specific collection works and commissions will be announced in the future.

How much is admission?

According to WAM, general admission is 70 dirhams, with free entry for visitors under 18, UAE students, and citizens and residents aged 60 and over. Opening hours were not given in the official announcements reviewed as of October 25.

*Information as of October 25, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: Guggenheim Abu Dhabi (from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation’s press release)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on press materials from the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT) and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation (July 28, August 4, October 5, 2026 and others) and information on the official website (as of October 25, 2026).

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team