10 Best Museums & Galleries in Abu Dhabi

The Louvre Abu Dhabi is one of the most impressive art museums in Abu Dhabi. Established on Saadiyat Island in 2017, it occupies a futuristic venue designed by French architect Jean Nouvel. More than 600 artworks are displayed across 23 permanent galleries, spanning a total of almost 2 acres.

Around 300 works are on loan from partnering French museums, including the Louvre, Palace of Versailles and Musée d’Orsay. You can see Egyptian antiquities, Neolithic statues from Ain Ghazal and Chinese ceremonial vases. The Louvre Abu Dhabi also has a dedicated children’s museum and hands-on workshops for those who want to improve their skills.

The Emirates Heritage Village is an open-air museum offering an immersive look into the UAE’s traditional desert life. The recreated complex has all the elements you’d find in a traditional village, including a mosque, a souq street market, an irrigation channel named a falaj and several houses called barasti.

The village is a world away from Abu Dhabi’s modern landscape, making it a great place for families and those who want to see a different side of the city. You’ll find craftspeople working on ancient practices like pottery, metalwork and glassblowing, and their wares make for excellent souvenirs. Let the kids try weaving on a loom or take in special cultural events.

The Al Qattara Arts Centre is located in Al Ain, a UNESCO World Heritage site recognized for its long history of settlement by different cultures over time, and provides a permanent home for the area’s archaeological finds. Among displays of ancient pottery you’ll also find exhibitions and murals from contemporary Emirati artists, showing the best that modern culture has to offer.

The Arts Centre is also an active learning hub, with wet and dry studios on site suitable for arts ranging from music to painting. You’ll also find pottery and calligraphy studios. We recommend checking their website before your visit and signing up for a workshop.

Manarat Al Saadiyat has been a staple of Abu Dhabi’s art scene since 2009. Located on Saadiyat Island, the museum occupies almost 4 acres of space with multiple galleries, an auditorium, a theatre and an open-air terrace. Visit in the evening to see the building’s honeycomb-lattice facade illuminated in colourful lights.

Displays at Manarat Al Saadiyat mostly focus on photography and multimedia art, including films, music, animation and games. A team of creatives often hosts workshops for those interested in learning a new skill during their visit.

The Emirates National Auto Museum attracts automobile enthusiasts with its extensive collection of vintage vehicles. It has around 200 automobiles that belong to Emirati royalty, Sheikh Hamad Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan. You can find the museum on Hanim Road, about a 45-minute drive south of central Abu Dhabi.

Standouts include a globe-shaped caravan, a steam-powered Mercedes from 1885 and a 1950 Dodge Power wagon (one of the world’s largest trucks). You can also see a collection of vintage automobiles, military vehicles and rainbow-coloured Mercedes automobiles at this quirky museum.

The Abu Dhabi History Museum appeals to families with its hands-on exhibitions about the city’s background. It’s part of Khalifa Park, one of Abu Dhabi’s largest recreational sites, covering over 123 acres.

Instead of exploring the museum on foot, you ride a pod-like car that takes you past several dioramas detailing the development of Abu Dhabi. You can see scenes of traditional desert life, oil mining and modern city landscapes. Throughout the 20-minute ride, you can listen to audio commentary in either English or Arabic.

The Etihad Modern Art Gallery celebrates the works of Emirati artists in an intimate setting. It's one of the smallest museums in Abu Dhabi and feels a lot like a casual gathering space for local creatives to share their talents with the public.

You can check out a wide range of modern art and sculptures in the main gallery, vintage objects in the side gallery and old drawings in the section upstairs. The Etihad Modern Art Gallery occasionally hosts exhibits by international artists, as well as small concerts and poetry nights throughout the year.

The Abu Dhabi Art Hub provides the city’s artists with a space for exhibitions, workshops and political discussions. The all-white gallery is part of the World Trade Center Mall, featuring several rooms across 2 floors.

Here, you can browse works by established artists from the UAE and various countries around the world. Exhibits range from paintings, photos and sculptures to mixed media, videos and decorative arts. The Abu Dhabi Art Hub also offers fully furnished accommodation and working spaces for artists with its month-long Artist Residency programme.

The NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery is one of the few buildings on the campus that’s open to the public during the semester. Located at the entrance of Building A4, it’s a great place to see ground-breaking art exhibitions for free in Abu Dhabi.

You can browse through a wide range of art forms, including photography, paintings, sculptures and digital media. The art gallery also has an outdoor sculpture garden that hosts interesting events. If you want to learn more about the gallery’s current exhibitions, check out reference materials at the adjacent NYUAD Gallery Reading Room.

Warehouse421 is a cultural centre with a strong focus on homegrown talents, making it one of the best art galleries in Abu Dhabi. Located near Zayed Port, this industrial-like warehouse consists of several artist studios and exhibition spaces.

Besides contemporary art and designs, Warehouse421 also hosts movie screenings, artistic exchanges, talks, book readings and interactive lessons by emerging Middle Eastern artists. You can take part in the biweekly 'Wednesdays at the Warehouse' programme, which includes children’s workshops, photo walks and wellness therapies.