The future will see tourist revenue in Abu Dhabi generated through cultural attractions.
When contemplating worldwide cultural destinations, the mind conjures images of cities such as Rome, Cairo and Paris. The UAE and Abu Dhabi are certainly not in the forefront of conscious thought when musing over global cultural significance. But that will change in the next few years if the Abu Dhabi government has any say in the matter. It is highly probable that future tourist revenue in Abu Dhabi will be generated by focusing on cultural aspects rather than commercialism like its neighbouring emirate, Dubai.
Abu Dhabi city is built on the largest of almost 200 natural offshore islands and Saadiyat Island, Arabic for Island of Happiness, is a 27 square kilometre natural island that lies approximately 500 metres. In 2004, the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) embarked on an ambitious development to transform Saadiyat Island into an affluent yet ecologically sensitive tourist destination. The elaborate project due for completion in 2018 is an impressive array of amenities, including an iconic 7-star hotel.
Perhaps most significantly though, the highlight of the development is the vision to create a cluster of world class cultural institutions that would be operated in tandem with established museums and performing arts institutions from all over the world. This feature will play an integral role in realising Abu Dhabi's ambition to have global credibility as a world-class cultural destination.
Architectural brilliance will be a defining mark for all of the new buildings which will comprise Saadiyat Island's Cultural District and the four architects behind the principal museums and arts centres; Jean Nouvel, Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid and Tadao Ando; are international award-winners with three being holders of the coveted Pritzker Prize — the most prestigious accolade in architecture.
It is easy to see how the historic accord between France and Abu Dhabi to open an outpost of the Louvre is of huge benefit for both parties. France is profiting substantially from this agreement: in exchange for $247 million, it will dispatch 200 to 300 artworks to the Louvre Abu Dhabi during a 10-year period and for the management expertise provided it will be paid $214.5 million over 20 years.
In addition four temporary exhibitions a year will be provided for 15 years in exchange for $253.5 million. Abu Dhabi will also finance restoration of the Château de Fontainebleau's theatre, which will be named after President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
For Abu Dhabi, this agreement ensures French museum expertise will assist with the acquisition of an Abu Dhabi art collection over the next decade. The Louvre Abu Dhabi will be included in the programme of international exhibitions exchanged between major museums worldwide. This opportunity provides for long-term loans from the Louvre and major French museums such as the Centre Georges Pompidou, and Musee d'Orsay.
The development of educational programmes will be facilitated as well as specialised art conferences aimed at inspiring and developing the next generation of cultural leaders. To celebrate the new cultural collaboration, the Louvre will host a floor of galleries in this wing dedicated to the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. This will enhance the recognition that Abu Dhabi receives among the millions of tourists that visit the Louvre in Paris each year. In addition, a multi-purpose art restoration and research centre in France — which will be the largest of its kind in the world — will also carry the name of the emirate.
The 24,000 square metre Louvre Abu Dhabi will have 6,000 square metres of galleries devoted to permanent displays and 2,000 square metres for temporary exhibitions, and is expected to open in 2012. Galleries will open to the public in successive phases.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between Abu Dhabi and the New York-based Guggenheim Foundation in 2006 allows the founding of an outstanding museum devoted to modern and contemporary art called the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi (GAD). The extension of the worldwide Guggenheim brand to Abu Dhabi is a massive coup and at 30,000 square metres, the Abu Dhabi museum will be larger than any existing Guggenheim worldwide.
Expected to open within five years, the museum will form its own major collection of contemporary art and will also exhibit masterworks from the Guggenheim Foundation's global collections. Although the Foundation will establish and manage the museum's programme, which will include exhibitions and educational initiatives, according to the MOU, Abu Dhabi's Tourism Development and Investment Company will own the museum.
The Gehry concept for the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum is designed around accommodating approximately 130,000 square feet of exhibition space. It will feature permanent collections, galleries for special exhibitions, a centre for art and technology, a children's art education facility, archives, library and research centre and a state-of-the-art conservation laboratory.
Zaha Hadid's Performing Arts Centre will be created to blend into an inclining ensemble of structures that stretch from the Ando-designed Maritime Museum at its southern end to the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi at the northern tip. In Hadid's vision, the 62 metre high building will house five theatres — a music hall, concert hall, opera house, drama theatre and a flexible theatre with a combined seating capacity for 6,300.
Apart from this centre, Saadiyat Island's Cultural District will also feature 19 international pavilions which will host a range of art and cultural events and activities.
These will be designed by some of today's architectural talent, including UAE's Khalid Alnajjar and the USA's Greg Lynn; whom Forbes magazine named one of the ten most influential living architects.
Not forgetting its traditions amidst all of this international enlightenment, Saadiyat Island's Cultural District will also feature the Shaikh Zayed National Museum — a museum devoted to the history of Abu Dhabi and the legacy of the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the first President of the United Arab Emirates who is fondly remembered as 'The Father Of The Nation.'
