Dubai is set to get its first-ever art museum, the Dubai Museum of Art (DUMA) , a private project led by the Al Futtaim Group. Designed by world-renowned architect Tadao Ando, the museum will rise on an artificial jetty in Dubai Creek, with a striking curved shell design.
The project was revealed at a ceremony attended by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and other top officials. Although no opening date or details about the collection have been announced yet, plans show that the five-storey building will include art galleries, a restaurant, a VIP lounge, and spaces for art fairs and cultural events.
For a city that has become a major hub for art and design, DUMA marks an important milestone as Dubai’s first dedicated art museum. The initiative is being viewed as a gift to the city from the Al Futtaim family, one of Dubai’s wealthiest and most influential business dynasties, with an estimated net worth of $4.9 billion.
Tadao Ando’s involvement adds international prestige to the project. The celebrated Japanese architect is behind several landmark cultural buildings around the world, including Punta della Dogana in Venice, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth in Texas, and the Bourse de Commerce in Paris.
