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Valerie Hillings will be the first director of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi
The future Guggenheim Abu Dhabi has found its first director. Art historian Valerie Hillings has been appointed the museum's inaugural director, with its opening scheduled for December 11. Her appointment marks a new chapter for one of the most ambitious cultural institutions launched in the Middle East.
The announcement was made by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, which has entrusted Hillings with the strategic direction of the museum, the supervision of the inaugural exhibitions, public programs and the final preparations before the official opening.
Her appointment also marks a return to a project she knows intimately. Between 2009 and 2018, she was a curator and associate director of curatorial affairs for the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. During that time, she collaborated closely on defining the collection, acquisitions policy, pre-opening program, and the development of the building designed by architect Frank Gehry. She had previously also worked for five years on the curatorial team at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.
“It is an honor to return to Abu Dhabi to complete the extraordinary process of founding and opening the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, a museum conceived in the United Arab Emirates thanks to the collaborative work of professionals from the region and around the world,” Hillings said after her appointment was announced. The new director also emphasized her desire to welcome local and international visitors to the building designed by Gehry and offer a journey through art from the 1960s to the present, focusing on the cultural connections and multiple narratives that permeate contemporary art.
Since 2018, Hillings directed the North Carolina Museum of Art, where he spearheaded a profound renovation of the permanent collection galleries, promoted the acquisition of nearly 400 works, and managed to double the museum's annual attendance to 1.2 million visitors.
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