The long-awaited Museum of the Future is set to open its doors on Tuesday. Organisers have kept details of the museum’s contents a mystery so far and its goals for its programming have remained largely broad, covering climate change, ecology, health, space travel and art.
Once it opens, the museum will not only join the list of the UAE’s growing list of attractions, but will also be part of its museum roster. With the new entry celebrating its opening, here are other UAE museums that are worth a visit:
Louvre Abu Dhabi
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Versailles and the World is Louvre Abu Dhabi's first international exhibition of 2022. All photos: Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
The exhibition will be on at Louvre Abu Dhabi from January 26 to June 4. -
Rhinoceros musical clock, gilt bronze and wood veneer, with an enamelled dial, on display at the coming exhibition, Versailles and the World at Louvre Abu Dhabi. -
With more than 100 artworks, including paintings and decorative arts, the exhibition illustrates how Versailles became an important centre for diplomatic relations between the East and West. -
Curator Helene Delalex explains about the seven-branch ostrich candlestick from the second Turkish Cabinet of the Count of Artois, brother of Louis XVI at the Chateau de Versailles. -
Curator Bertrand Rondo explains a board game that teaches geography, on display at the exhibition. -
Louvre Abu Dhabi's Versailles and the World tells the story of Versailles and the French royal court. -
Set of three eggs vases with Chinese decoration, delivered to Queen Marie Antoinette at the Chateau de Versailles, displayed at the new Versailles and the World exhibition. -
Visitors explore the artwork and artefacts showcased at the new exhibition. -
The exhibition immerses visitors in 17th-18th century Versailles and discover it as a unique meeting place for different civilisations. -
Tea and chocolate service of Marie Leszczynska: a large rinsing bowl, three tea bowls with saucer, two chocolate cups with saucers, chocolate pot and milk jug, made of hard-paste porcelain, blackened wood and gilt silver, on display at the exhibition. -
A visitor in front of 'Grand Ananas' pineapple fabric, woodblock-printed cotton with brushwork, circa 1777, on display at the exhibition. -
Bertrand Rondot and Helene Delalex, curators of Versailles and the World. -
Bust of Mohammed Osman Khan, the ambassador of Tipu Sultan of Mysore in India, who came to Versailles in 1788 to negotiate a military treaty against England, on display at the exhibition. -
Model of the Ambassadors' Staircase, Charles Arquinet, 1958, made of wood, board, plaster, plastic, on display at Versailles and the World. -
Mehmed Said Pasha, Ben of Rumelia, Ottoman ambassador at Versailles in February 1742, oil on canvas painting, displayed at Versailles and the World at Louvre Abu Dhabi.
Known for its stunning architecture, Louvre Abu Dhabi has worked on embedding itself into the local art community for the past four years. Not only does it have its own permanent collection of more than 630 artworks and artefacts, the museum has also been steadily expanding its educational resources, from creating a digital archive of its collection to launching a resource centre for students, researchers and professors in late 2021.
Louvre Abu Dhabi’s current exhibition, Versailles and the World, considers the historic palace in France as a starting point for explorations on the historical and artistic shifts of the 17th and 18th centuries.
More information is available at louvreabudhabi.ae
Jameel Arts Centre
What started as a project space in Alserkal Avenue has now become one of the key places in Dubai to see contemporary art. Privately funded by the Jameel family of Saudi Arabia, the Jameel Arts Centre sits on the edge of Al Jadaf and looks out onto the Dubai Creek.
An independent institution, the contemporary art museum has been responsible for bringing many international artists and their works to the UAE, as well as establishing a library and developing public programmes that create crucial dialogue within the local artistic community.
In March, the museum will present solo shows by Pakistani artist Fahd Burki and Russian artist Taus Makhacheva, in addition to site-specific commissions and a community learning programme on the region’s urban histories.
More information is available at jameelartscentre.org
Sharjah Art Museum
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‘Three Women and a Palm Tree’ (1947) by Baya. Collection of Ramzi and Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation. Courtesy Sharjah Art Museum -
‘Young Women’ (1974) by Baya. Collection of Barbara Farahnick-Mathonet and Pierre-Yves Mathonet. Courtesy Sharjah Art Museum -
‘Woman in Pink Dress’ (1945) by Baya. Collection of Barjeel Art Foundation. Courtesy Barjeel Art Foundation -
A 1975 work by Baya. Courtesy Elmarsa Gallery -
‘Woman and Fantastical Character’ (1947) by Baya. Collection of Galerie Maeght. Courtesy Sharjah Art Museum -
‘Two Women with Vase and Yellow Background’ (1997) by Baya. Collection of Ramzi and Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation. Courtesy Sharjah Art Museum -
A work by Baya on display at Art Dubai in 2014. Pawan Singh / The National
Sharjah has no shortage of arts and culture organisations, from the Sharjah Art Foundation and the Sharjah Architecture Triennial to The Africa Institute. In addition to this, the Sharjah Museums Authority runs more than 15 museums in the emirate dedicated to the arts, heritage and entertainment.
Among its most prominent spaces is the Sharjah Art Museum, which was established in 1997. It houses works by significant modern and contemporary Arab artists as part of its permanent display, and it also has temporary exhibitions, including its upcoming major retrospective on Lebanese painter Aref El Rayess, which opens at the end of the month.
More information is available at sharjahmuseums.ae
Al Ain Palace Museum
An important historical site for the UAE, Al Ain Palace was the home of Sheikh Zayed, Founding Father of the UAE. The ruler lived in the palace with his family until the late 1960s before moving to Abu Dhabi to become the emirate’s ruler.
Within the sprawling complex are a series of buildings, the oldest of which dates back to 1937 when the ruling family moved in. In 1998, the palace was converted into a museum and opened to the public in 2001. Inside its 37 rooms, visitors can glimpse at how the ruling family used to live with display of personal items and its interiors that have been maintained to look as they did when it was a royal residence.
More information is available at Visit Abu Dhabi's website
Etihad Museum
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A pair of Sheikh Zayed’s sunglasses. Antonie Robertson / The National -
An alarm clock that belonged to Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed Al Qassimi of Sharjah. Antonie Robertson / The National -
A copy of the original constitution signed by all seven rulers of the Emirates. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Mualla of Umm Al Qaiwain’s dagger. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed’s glasses. Antonie Robertson / The National -
The private office of the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, inside the Guest Palace, where rulers met before the signing. Rym Ghazal / The National -
A gun belonging to Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammad Al Qassimi of Ras Al Khaimah. Antonie Robertson / The National -
An old-fashioned handgun and holster belonging to Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi of Fujairah. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Inside the postal history room. On display is the first Sharjah stamps. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi of Ajman’s ring. Antonie Robertson / The National
In terms of location, the Etihad Museum’s is quite historic. The uniquely shaped structure, with its delicately curved roof was designed by Canadian architects Moriyama and Teshima and is found on same grounds as the Union House, where the UAE constitution was signed in 1971.
Inside, the museum takes highlights from UAE history and tells the story of the country through interactive displays and pavilions. The museum’s timeline focuses on 1968 and 1974, and it also displays curious items and personal belongings from each of the seven rulers that established the UAE.
Currently, the museum is showcasing works from the Dubai Collection, an initiative between Art Dubai and Dubai Culture that seeks to promote art patronage in the country. The first exhibition by the Dubai Collection features artworks from the private collections of 11 collectors, including Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai.
More information is available on the museum's website
