Zayed National Museum opens in Abu Dhabi

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After nearly 15 years in the making, the Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi has opened to the public, just one day after the UAE celebrated its 54th anniversary. The museum is an architectural masterpiece designed by Lord Norman Foster, who also designed the Louvre Abu Dhabi, which opened in 2017. In other cultural news, Warehouse 421, an independent cultural platform in Abu Dhabi, is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a show tracing the evolution of creative practice in the UAE. Meanwhile, Design Miami, a leading international forum for collectible design, has announced a multiyear partnership with Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue, including a fair, among other events, beginning in early 2027.

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Rebecca

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1. Leading the week: Zayed National Museum Opens to Public

An exterior view of the Zayed National Museum designed by Foster + Partners. (Photo courtesy of Zayed National Museum)

The capital of the United Arab Emirates has a new museum, which opened a day after the Gulf nation celebrated its 54th anniversary. The Zayed National Museum, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Lord Norman Foster of Foster + Partners, is dedicated to the life and legacy of the UAE’s founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, as well as the ancient and modern history of the nation. 

Inside, more than 1,000 objects are displayed across six permanent galleries, ranging from archaeological and historical artifacts to audiovisual displays, contemporary artworks and other immersive installations that trace the story of the country, with special attention to the emirate of Abu Dhabi.

The museum’s striking architecture is designed as an ode to the falcon, the national emblem of the United Arab Emirates. Five elegantly curved towers in the shape of the wings of a falcon shoot up graciously to the sky as if about to take flight. The towers also function as thermal chimneys, creating a distinctive sustainable cooling system for the galleries below — a nod to traditional Arabian desert architecture.

“As the national museum of the United Arab Emirates, Zayed National Museum tells the unfolding story of the land and its people,” HE Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, said in the museum’s opening press release. “It demonstrates the unifying power of our history and our culture, providing a space where citizens, residents and visitors can see themselves reflected in the story of our people and our land.” 

The museum caps a milestone year for Abu Dhabi, which has seen several major cultural openings, including teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi and the reopening of Al Ain Museum.

The museum serves as a cultural bridge linking the seven emirates and celebrating their rich shared heritage, natural landscape and history from the earliest evidence of human habitation to the civilizations that shaped the nation’s culture and identity.

The museum is hosting a monthlong opening program through the end of 2025, welcoming the public to a wide range of performances, workshops, and cultural activities under the theme Deep Roots and Everlasting Legacy.

Date: until Dec. 31

Location: Saadiyat Island, Saadiyat Culture District, Abu Dhabi

Find more information here. 

2. Word on the street: Apollo

Calamarata alla vodka at Apollo in Palm Jumeirah. (Photo courtesy of Apollo)

A newcomer to Palm Jumeirah’s West Palm Beach dining scene, Apollo is a cozy, upscale bistro that reimagines international comfort-food classics with a zesty twist from the Mediterranean, the Arab world, Asia and Latin America. These inspirations translate into dishes such as Peruvian grilled octopus, ceviche classico, French onion croquettes, veal Milanese, Asian chicken salad, shrimp popcorn with curry tartare and a succulent calamarata alla vodka. From the region, the menu also features duck arayes and chorizo with walnut labneh.

Apollo takes a distinctly global approach to comfort food in an understated yet upscale setting and even offers some coastal views of Palm Jumeirah.

Location: Palm Views West, Palm Jumeirah

Find more information here.

3. Dubai diary

“Rays, Ripples, Residue” exhibition at 421 Arts Campus featuring works by Emirati artist Hashel Al Lamki. (Photo courtesy of 421 Arts Campus, Abu Dhabi. Photography by Ismail Noor)

• 421 Arts Campus marks 10-year anniversary

One of the UAE’s leading creative incubators based in Abu Dhabi is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. 421 Arts Campus, formerly known as Warehouse 421, was established by the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation and serves as an independent platform fostering artistic growth in the region through residencies, workshops, exhibitions and various programing. Set up in a warehouse in Abu Dhabi’s Mina Zayed, a rapidly rising cultural district, and converted into an exhibition space, with offices and artist studio, Warehouse 421 is dedicated to empowering the UAE's cultural and creative community and nurturing emerging artists through its public platform. 

“The arts ecosystem existed in the UAE for a very long time,” Faisal Al Hassan, director of 421, tells Al-Monitor. “I think what was missing were spaces and infrastructure that could actually support that creative community. 421 thus came out of a necessity, and we began thinking about 421 years before it opened. It was a way to take an opportunity to support emerging creative practitioners.”

Hassan emphasizes how 421 offers a way to focus on regional emerging talent. “The artists who are really dedicated to their practice, but they're still not ready to be presented at the Guggenheim or by a gallery like Third Line. Where do they go and where do they fit? We saw the need for a platform for these artists in the city of Abu Dhabi to provide them with their first step to engage with a wider audience.”

Warehouse 421 is presenting Rays, Ripples, Residue, a landmark exhibition curated by Munira Al Sayegh, Nadine Khalil and Murtaza Vali, displaying a multidisciplinary array of artworks to explore creative practice and exhibition-making in the UAE over the past decade.

Date: Until April 26, 2026

Location: 421 Arts Campus, Mina Zayed, Abu Dhabi

Find more information here. 

• Design Miami joins hands with Dubai-based Alserkal Avenue

This week, Alserkal, a cultural enterprise rooted in Dubai and active internationally, and Design Miami, a leading international forum for collectible design, announced a multiyear partnership that will introduce Design Miami to the Middle East. The collaboration will establish a jointly curated, regional platform for collectible design, featuring a flagship fair in Dubai and ongoing design-led initiatives, beginning in early 2027.

Through the new partnership, Alserkal will build on Design Miami’s 20-year experience of gathering leading galleries, collectors and practitioners as a global forum for collectible design. The collaboration will be shaped by perspectives from the UAE and the wider Middle East, and a commitment to thoughtful, context-driven curation.

Dates: From early 2027

Location: Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai

Find more information here. 

• ‘Houselessness,’ by Mohammed Joha

Through abstract mixed-media works, Palestinian artist Mohammed Joha explores the state of being without a house and being homeless. The works on display have been made with scraps of paper, fabric, cardboard and other miscellaneous salvaged materials that come together to powerfully depict the fragment state of disarray in his personal history due to the ongoing violence and upheaval in Gaza.

Date: Until Jan. 11, 2026

Location: Zawyeh Gallery, Alserkal Avenue

Find more information here.