Momentum Builds at Abu Dhabi Art Ahead of the Frieze Takeover, but Sales Still Lag Behind the Buzz

For years, the narrative of Abu Dhabi’s cultural rise has been dominated by institution-building, primarily on Saadiyat Island: Louvre Abu Dhabi opened there in 2017, the Natural History Museum followed this year, with the Zayed National Museum soon to come and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi scheduled for 2026. These projects symbolized the city’s identity as a government-led museum capital, impressive in scale yet often perceived as detached from the day-to-day life of artists and galleries.