ABU DHABI, 9 July 2006 — The New York-based Guggenheim Foundation signed an agreement yesterday to build its fifth and largest art museum in Abu Dhabi.
The museum will be built in the Cultural District of Saadiyat, a natural island 500 meters offshore, which is being transformed into an international tourism destination.
The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi will be designed by renowned US architect Frank Gehry who designed the Guggenheim in the Spanish city of Bilbao, the foundation’s director Thomas Krens told reporters at the signing ceremony.
Sheikh Mohammed ibn Zayed Al-Nahayan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi, signed the agreement on behalf of the Emirati authorities.
With an area of 30,000 square meters, the Abu Dhabi museum will be the only Guggenheim museum in the region and the largest worldwide. It is expected that he construction of the museum will be completed in five years.
