dedicated to modern and contemporary art. It will
be larger than the original Guggenheim, at 300,000
square metres, and at an estimated cost of $400
million.
The museum’s dramatic design plan calls for an
installation four stories high with multiple galleries
stacked on top of one another. The aim for this
museum is to create an artistic space that will allow
for cultural exchange and discourse between different
traditions and cultures. The museum will form its
own major collection of contemporary art and will
also exhibit masterworks from the Guggenheim
Foundation’s global collections.
The Louvre
The construction of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, which is
to be completed in 2012, has developed as part of a
thirty year agreement between the city of Abu Dhabi
and the French government. The museum’s architect
Jean Nouvel, has designed a unique web-patterned
dome above the body of the museum, which will
allow the sunshine to filter through. The museum will
showcase artwork from all corners of the globe, with
particular emphasis on bridging the gap between Eastern
and Western Art. The world-class museum will be
approximately 24,000 square metres and is expected to
cost between €83 million and €108 million.
Saadiyat Island will also include the Sheikh Zayed
National Museum, to be designed under the direction
of the renowned architect Lord Norman Foster; a
performing arts centre designed by Zaha Hadid and a
maritime museum with concept design by Tadao Ando.
The island will also be an exclusive, luxury holiday
destination with a sophisticated waterfront district
- Saadiyat Marina. In addition to that, it will have
kilometres of natural beaches with five-star hotels and
resorts, Saadiyat Reserve with flourishing wetlands and
mangroves and even the world’s first tidal golf course.
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