Museum Expansion in the Twenty-First Century: Abu Dhabi

The government of Abu Dhabi, in partnership with powerful western institutions, has embarked on a breathtaking scheme to build four world-class museums and a perform-ing art centre as cornerstones of the development of a new culture-leisure-tourism com-plex on Saadiyat Island. The sudden rise of the Persian Gulf states as hubs of global art and museum development has attracted the attention, not to say skepticism, of the art world. This article explores the political and economic motives and historical context behind the projects as well as some of the challenges they face in the years to come.