Guggenheim Goes to Abu Dhabi

WNYC News | Jul 12, 2010

New York, NY —

You can visit the Guggenheim in New York, Venice, Bilbao and very soon, Abu Dhabi. Last night, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation announced plans to open a museum in the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

The 450-thousand square foot space will be devoted to modern and contemporary art, and designed by architect Frank Gehry. Gehry described his plans for the museum and he incorporated some advice from Guggenheim director Thomas Krens.

GEHRY: We started putting sculpture out on the, around it. And Tom said he wants everything inside, wanted the building to be the sculpture.

REPORTER: Abu Dhabi has recently expanded its cultural reach. A branch of the Louvre is scheduled to open there in 2012. Last month, New York University agreed to create an Abu Dhabi campus, which should begin enrollment in 2010. The Guggenheim's opening has been met with some controversy - Human Rights Watch has issued a statement, calling for the humane treatment of migrant workers in the construction of the museum. The organization claim that abuse of construction workers is common in the UAE.

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