Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Opening Date Revealed

Although Armstrong's comment that "we think it should be five years from next week," as quoted by The Art Newspaper yesterday, is precise yet considerably far off, a 2026 opening would notably mark 20 years since the project was unveiled by his successor, Thomas Krens. Indicating that he is off to the Middle East soon, Armstrong also said, "It looks like everything is coming together so we can say something definitive." When completed, the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island will complete the island's cultural district that also includes the Louvre Abu Dhabi by Jean Nouvel and the Zayed National Museum by Foster + Partners, among other institutions.

Announced in 2006 with an opening date of 2013, site and structural work started in 2011, only to be suspended the same year by the UAE's Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC). The opening date was repeatedly pushed back due to construction delays, and in recent years there was little to no news on the museum and any progress toward its completion. Armstrong's comments appear to put any uncertainty over the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi to rest, as does some apparent construction activity visible in an aerial view on Google Maps. Nevertheless, a lot can happen in five years — or not, based on the last fifteen years of the planned 320,000-square-foot museum.