Art and Culture in UAE's Capital

As mentioned previously, Abu Dhabi will soon boast NYU's largest liberal arts campus outside of the United States. This will certainly attract many individuals with tremendous talent and vast interest in the arts. Talks with Yale University are currently underway, which is planning to open an arts institute on Saadiyat Island, the Cultural District of the city.

With all of the major economic and global business players migrating to Dubai, Abu Dhabi certainly needs an unrivaled area to focus on. The city is shaping out to be UAE's cultural hub. New York-based Guggenheim Foundation is set to establish a world-class museum devoted to modern and contemporary art. It will be called the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, and the museum, designed by internationally-acclaimed architect Frank Gehry, will truly position the emirate as a leading international cultural destination. The museum will be approximately 30,000 square feet, and will be larger than any existing Guggenheim museum worldwide (New York, Venice, Bilbao, Berlin, Las Vegas, Guadalajara, Bucharest and Vilnius). The museum will form its own major collection of contemporary art and will also exhibit masterworks from the Guggenheim Foundation’s global collections.

The Cultural District will also be home to a national museum, classical art museum, maritime museum, performing arts centre and an expansive arts center park. HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and member of the Executive Council was quoted in a press release regarding the announcement of the museum. "Today’s signing represents the determination of the Abu Dhabi Government to create a world-class cultural destination for its residents and visitors." This is a major step forward in our plans for Saadiyat Island and its Cultural District which will become an international cultural hub for the Middle East on par with the best in the world. The signing also represents a significant development in the creation and nurturing of international cultural ties which will do much to forge greater understanding between all globalizing nations.

Saadiyat Island translates from Arabic literally into "The Island of Happiness." With six highly individual districts with 29 hotels, including an iconic 7-star property, three marinas for around 1,000 boats, museums and cultural centers, two golf courses, recreational and leisure facilities, sea-view apartments and elite villas, Saadiyat Island will seemingly be a cultural Dubai, only on the small scale.