Today's Edition
ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi has announced the appointment of Dr Valerie Hillings as the inaugural Director of Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The landmark museum, which officially open its doors on December 11, 2026, in the Saadiyat Cultural District, takes its place alongside world-class institutions including Louvre Abu Dhabi, Zayed National Museum, Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi and teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi.
As Director, Dr Hillings will lead the museum’s strategic direction, overseeing its inaugural exhibitions and programmes, establishing an institution that is rooted in Abu Dhabi and connected to the world, one that connects cultures, inspires people and celebrates art from the 1960s to the present. Dr Hillings brings deep familiarity with Guggenheim Abu Dhabi to the role.
From 2009 to 2018, she served as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation’s Curator and Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Project, working closely with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi on the collection strategy and acquisitions, pre-opening programming and the Frank Gehry-designed building.
Earlier, she spent five years on the Guggenheim’s curatorial staff in New York. Since 2018, Dr Hillings has served as Director of the North Carolina Museum of Art, where she led the reimagination of its permanent collection galleries, added some 400 works to the collection and oversaw a doubling of annual attendance to 1.2 million visitors.
She holds a PhD and MA in Art History and Archaeology from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, and an AB in Art History from Duke University, with a specialisation in modern and contemporary art.
Dr Hillings said: “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.
“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.”
Through Guggenheim Abu Dhabi’s collection, exhibitions, commissions, research and public programmes, the museum will foster dialogue across cultures and generations while reinforcing Abu Dhabi’s role as a global centre for artistic innovation, creative production and cultural exchange.
Housing 30 galleries across 11,600 square metres of interior exhibition space, alongside 23,000 square metres of outdoor exhibition areas, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi represents one of the world’s most significant platforms for modern and contemporary art.
