Spectacular Guggenheim Abu Dhabi to open December 11, 2026

21 Sep 2026 Picture1 (36)

After years of construction and anticipation, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi will open to the public on December 11, 2026, adding another major cultural attraction to the UAE capital’s rapidly expanding Saadiyat Cultural District. The museum already confirmed its opening date in July, while ticket sales officially opened September 18.

Travellers can now book visits through the museum’s official website, with reservations available ahead of the December 11 launch. The museum’s website is already promoting the opening and directing visitors to ticket sales.

Standard admission is AED70 (about US$19). Admission is free for visitors under 18, UAE university students, UAE citizens and residents aged 60 and over. Discounted prizes are available for other categories of citizens and workers, subject to eligibility and documentation.

The museum is located on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, within the Saadiyat Cultural District, alongside Louvre Abu Dhabi and other major cultural projects including the Zayed National Museum and Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi.

What travellers will see
Designed by the late architect Frank Gehry, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi will focus on modern and contemporary art, particularly work from the 1960s to the present.

The collection spans painting, sculpture, photography, installation, moving image and new media. Galleries will explore themes including abstraction, popular culture, land, language and storytelling, with works by artists including Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, alongside artists from the Arab world, Africa and Asia.

The building itself is expected to be a major attraction. Covering 80,000 square meters, it includes 30 galleries, 11,600 square meters of interior exhibition space and 23,000 square meters of outdoor exhibition areas. Ten giant sculptural cones, reaching up to 88 meters, provide shade and natural ventilation.