Dubai Is Getting an Art Museum on a Very Small Island

Does the latest trend in urban design involve small artificial islands? Since it opened in 2021, New York City’s Little Island has hosted an array of cultural programs. Now, a continent away, another cultural destination is in the works — and it’s one that could make Dubai more of a go-to art-world destination. That would be the Dubai Museum of Art, or DUMA, the design of which was announced this week. The museum will be situated on Dubai Creek and will, once opened, house an array of modern art and contemporary work.

“We are especially proud to have entrusted the design of DUMA to the world-renowned architect Tadao Ando, whose architecture speaks the language of light, silence, and soul,” said Omar Al Futtaim, the CEO of developers Al-Futtaim, in a statement. “In Dubai, his vision for the Museum of Art will stand as a serene dialogue between nature, water, and the human spirit, a masterpiece of restraint and emotion that embodies both ingenuity and timeless elegance, perfectly capturing the depth of his philosophy.”

What is especially notable about the museum is the involvement of architect Tadao Ando. In a New Yorker article last year, Ian Parker noted that Ando’s designs generally involve “a controlled, sober beauty that photographs well and that plainly communicates contemporary, if not avant-garde, taste.” Even if you’re not well-versed with Pritzker Prize-winning architects, Ando’s name may ring a bell: Kanye West made headlines for his unexpected renovation of an Ando-designed home.

As Tessa Solomon of ARTnews observed, the announcement of DUMA is part of a larger effort to boost Dubai’s status as an artistic and cultural destination. Solomon noted that in the last decade, both Concrete and the Museum of the Future have both opened their doors. Al-Futtaim’s announcement of DUMA’s design does not feature any information on an opening date, but as work begins on the project, those details should come into focus.