São Paulo – This Wednesday (25th), the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, announced new dates for the inaugurations of Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Zayed National Museum, and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. They are set to open in 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively.
The three projects were announced in 2006 and 2007, and the inaugurations were originally set to take place from 2012 through to 2014. The start of construction work for the Louvre, in 2009, was even attended by the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy.
According to the TDIC, which is in charge of developing Saadiyat Island, an entertainment, tourism and culture hub in Abu Dhabi where the museums will be set, informed that “due to the immense magnitude of the Saadiyat Cultural District, careful planning has been undertaken to ensure the sustainability of the institutions.”
“These opening dates give each museum sufficient time to establish its own identity on the local and international cultural stage,” the company announced in a statement.
The company claims that the projects are underway, that detailed architectural plans have been completed, and foundations has been laid.
According to the TDIC, the new dates were set together with the partner institutions for each project, namely Agence France Muséums, for the Louvre, British Museum, for the Zayed Museum, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation.
The buildings were designed by architects Jean Nouvel (Louvre), Norman Foster (Zayed Museum) and Frank Gehry (Guggenheim), the latter of whom was also responsible for the Guggenheim Bilbao, in Spain.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
