Museum Openings 2026: Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Lucas Museum, Fondation Beyeler and More
After two decades of waiting, the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi (GAD) is set to launch on December 11, 2026. This expansive 11,600-square-meter facility will house 30 galleries and offer over 23,000 square meters of outdoor space, showcasing a collection that emphasizes art from 1960 onwards. This announcement comes shortly after the passing of architect Frank Gehry on December 5, 2025. In other developments, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art will open in Los Angeles on September 22, 2026, while the Fondation Beyeler in Switzerland will begin a phased opening from September 26 to January 14, 2027. Notable reopenings include the Design Museum Gent on October 3 and KANAL–Centre Pompidou on November 28. Recently, the Centre for Contemporary Arts Tashkent opened, and the Kvareli Foundation for Contemporary Art is set to launch on October 31, 2026.
Key facts
- Guggenheim Abu Dhabi opens December 11, 2026, designed by Frank Gehry, who died December 5, 2025.
- Lucas Museum of Narrative Art opens September 22, 2026, in Los Angeles, designed by Ma Yansong of MAD.
- Fondation Beyeler in Riehen begins phased opening September 26, 2026, with new buildings by Peter Zumthor.
- Design Museum Gent reopens October 3, 2026, after a four-year renovation by Carmody Groarke, ATAMA, and RE-ST.
- KANAL–Centre Pompidou in Brussels opens November 28, 2026, in a former Citroën factory.
- London Museum opens November 28, 2026, in Smithfield's General Market, a £437 million project.
- Centre for Contemporary Arts Tashkent has opened in a renovated 1912 tram depot by Studio KO.
- Kvareli Foundation for Contemporary Art opens October 31, 2026, in Georgia, designed by Midamo.
Entities
Artists
- Frank Gehry
- Peter Zumthor
- Ma Yansong
- Mia Lehrer
- Bas Smets
- Asif Khan
- Julian Harrap
- Wilhelm Heinzelmann
- Jemal Inaishvili
- Giorgi Chkonia
- Dato Danelia
- Renzo Piano
- Ernst Beyeler
- George Lucas
- Valentina Silvestrini
- Mellody Hobson
- Piet Oudolf
- Gordon Matta-Clark
- Frederic Pope
- I. M. Pei
- Josh Allen
- Azadeh Rashidi
- Paul Schulhof
- India Mahdavi
Institutions
- Guggenheim Abu Dhabi
- Lucas Museum of Narrative Art
- LACMA
- Fondation Beyeler
- Design Museum Gent
- KANAL–Centre Pompidou
- London Museum
- Centre for Contemporary Arts Tashkent
- Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation
- Kvareli Foundation for Contemporary Art
- MAD
- MLA
- Herzog & de Meuron
- archimania
- OLIN
- Carmody Groarke
- ATAMA
- RE-ST
- noAarchitecten
- EM2N
- Sergison Bates architects
- Stanton Williams
- Julian Harrap Architects
- Studio KO
- Midamo
- Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech
- Artribune
- Kanal-Centre Pompidou
- University of California, San Diego
- LMN Architects
- Montana State University
- Lake Flato
- Hennebery Eddy Architects
- Buffalo Bills
- Populous
- MIT
- Diller Scofidio + Renfro
- Leers Weinzapfel Associates
- Reed Hilderbrand
- RCR Arquitectes
- CALQ Architecture
- Planting Fields Foundation
- Powerhouse Parramatta
- Moreau Kusunoki
- Genton
- American Buddhist Cultural Society
- SOM
- William King Museum of Art
- Schulhof Rashidi
- Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects
- CANYON
- New Affiliates
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
- PAU
- Field Operations
- Cooper Robertson
- L’Observatoire International
- Robert P. Madison International/DLR Group
- Heintges
- California Science Center
- ZGF
- Arup
- CIVA
- Jim Moran Foundation
- HASTINGS
- Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
- Memphis Art Museum
- Atelier Peter Zumthor
- Renzo Piano Building Workshop
- Wyss Museum
- Ammann Pavilion
- Torhaus
- Rolex
- David Chipperfield Architects
- The Architect's Newspaper
Locations
- Abu Dhabi
- United Arab Emirates
- Saadiyat Island
- Los Angeles
- United States
- Exposition Park
- Riehen
- Basel
- Switzerland
- Gent
- Belgium
- Brussels
- London
- United Kingdom
- Smithfield
- Tashkent
- Uzbekistan
- Kvareli
- Georgia
- Tbilisi
- Marrakech
- Morocco
- New York
- Venezia
- Bilbao
- Tennessee
- Memphis
- Rome
- Zurich
- San Diego
- California
- Bozeman
- Montana
- Buffalo
- Cambridge
- Massachusetts
- Ghent
- Boulogne-Billancourt
- France
- Oyster Bay
- Sydney
- Australia
- San Francisco
- Abington
- Virginia
- New York City
- Cleveland
- Ohio
- Fort Lauderdale
- Florida
- 5th Avenue
- 53rd Street
- Manhattan