Très Sheikh

An island oasis, poised to become the world’s newest art mecca, aims to bring curatorial VIPs to the UAE.

Brace yourselves -- the Louvre and the Guggenheim are moving to Abu Dhabi. A Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim and a Jean Nouvel-helmed Louvre will soon be cultural hot spots on Saadiyat Island, a 10.4 square mile “island of happiness” (both literal translation and marketing slogan) less than half a mile from Abu Dhabi’s shores. The island, which has, until now, been totally undeveloped, will over the next 15 years become a luxury community complete with residences, hotels and resorts, museums, restaurants and shops, a performing arts center and even a New York University satellite campus. While its main purpose is to boost tourism to the UAE, developers expect a year-round population of 150,000.

Gehry’s Guggenheim. Top, Ando’s Maritime Museum.

The island’s official website has the feel of a videogame introduction (“Great explorers passed through these desert lands in search of a dream… they discovered the property of life… ”), while the renderings of its future edifices resemble a mystical Sim City. The Performing Arts Centre, designed by Zaha Hadid and Patrick Schumacher, juts out over the sea like a futuristic amoeba. That said, Saadiyat promises to be a very real destination that bridges global cultures (case in point: France doesn’t give up the Louvre to just anyone). It’s not exactly secluded—two 10-lane freeways will connect the island to the mainland—and it is an easier trip than it seems, a mere 15 miles from the Abu Dhabi International airport. And, don’t fear, there’s plenty of time to pack: the first phases of development are scheduled for completion by 2012.

Nouvel’s Louvre.