Guggenheim Abu Dhabi has appointed Valerie Hillings as its inaugural director ahead of the museum’s opening on December 11.
The Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi announced that Hillings will lead the museum’s strategic direction and oversee its opening exhibitions, public programmes and final preparations for its launch.
The Frank Gehry-designed museum will be the largest institution in the Guggenheim network and one of the final major additions to Saadiyat Cultural District, joining Louvre Abu Dhabi, teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, Zayed National Museum and Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi.
From 2009 to 2018, Hillings served as curator and associate director of curatorial affairs for the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi project at the Solomon R Guggenheim Foundation.
During that period, she worked with DCT Abu Dhabi on the museum’s collection strategy and acquisitions, its pre-opening programme and the development of the Gehry-designed building. She had previously spent five years on the Guggenheim’s curatorial staff in New York.
“I am honoured to return to Abu Dhabi to complete the once-in-a-lifetime journey of founding and opening Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, a museum developed in the United Arab Emirates by colleagues from both the region and around the world,” Hillings said about her appointment.
“I look forward to welcoming local and global audiences to the magnificent Frank Gehry-designed building, and inviting them to explore points of interconnection and unique stories through the lens of art from the 1960s to our time.”
Since 2018, Hillings has served as director of the North Carolina Museum of Art. During her tenure, the museum reimagined its permanent collection galleries, acquired about 400 works and doubled its annual attendance to 1.2 million visitors.
She holds a doctorate in art history from New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts, as well as a degree in art history from Duke University.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi’s collection has been developed since 2009, and will focus on modern and contemporary art from the 1960s to the present. It will span painting, sculpture, installation, photography, moving image and new media.
Previously announced artists include Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Their works will be displayed alongside those of artists from Asia, Africa and the Arab world who have received less international attention.
The museum will examine artistic connections and exchanges across cultures from an Abu Dhabi perspective. Its galleries will explore subjects including abstraction, popular culture, land, language and storytelling.
The museum has a built-up area of 80,000 square metres, including 11,600 sq m of indoor gallery space and 23,000 sq m of outdoor exhibition areas.
Alongside artworks, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi will present music, dance, food and public programmes. It will also support artists through commissions and research, and offer programming in several languages.
