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The chairman of Abu Dhabi's department of cultural tourism, Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, revealed at a recent briefing that the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, designed by Frank Gehry and set to open in 2026 on Saadiyat Island, will feature Western masters like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Andy Warhol alongside lesser-known contemporary artists from Asia, Africa, and the Arab world. The museum, originally announced two decades ago and delayed multiple times, will also incorporate augmented reality and artificial intelligence to enhance visitor engagement, and will include music, food, and dance as part of its civic space concept.

The Art World This Week, 19 September 2025

Ocula's weekly briefing reports strong sales at viennacontemporary with 15,000 visitors and six-figure results for Galerie Zimmermann Kratochwill. Sotheby's announced $248 million in pre-tax losses for 2024 but achieved $100 million from the Karpidas collection sale and consigned the Pritzker and Lauder collections for November. Haegue Yang was appointed chair of the executive board at Kunst-Werke Berlin. Yemen's National Museum in Sanaa was damaged by Israeli airstrikes. Gallerist Sebastian Gladstone opened a new Los Angeles space, while L.A. Louver closed its Venice Beach gallery after 50 years. Taymour Grahne Projects opened in Dubai. Samia Halaby won the MUNCH Award, Jennifer Packer and Marie Watt received Heinz Family Foundation awards, and the Henry Moore Foundation distributed £100,000 to UK sculptors.

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Artist Jill Magid has transformed her solo exhibition at Various Small Fires in Los Angeles into a platform for her dealer Esther Kim Varet’s congressional campaign. The show, titled “Heart of a Citizen,” features a replica of the White House Press Briefing Room podium, which Kim Varet uses to deliver stump speeches. Other works include a neon sign quoting a stenographer’s note and concrete casts of Magid’s heart, inspired by the White House Rose Garden. Magid emphasizes the show is not an endorsement but an exploration of power, free speech, and democracy.

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Egyptian Member of Parliament Freddy Elbaiady publicly criticized the Grand Egyptian Museum's ticketing system, which imposes separate quotas for foreign tourists and Egyptian nationals. The controversy erupted after overcrowding on a single day saw over 27,000 tickets sold—exceeding the daily limit of 20,000—leading to thousands of frustrated visitors being denied entry. Elbaiady submitted a formal request to remove the quota, calling it discriminatory, and demanded a briefing from the Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism. In response, the museum announced a shift to a pre-booking system with designated entry times, implemented last week, and starting December 1, online booking will be the only method for purchasing tickets.

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Officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) arrived at the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture (NMPRAC) in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood on Tuesday, with between 15 and 20 DHS vehicles appearing without notice or a warrant. Museum staff reported that officers claimed to be assessing entry and exit points for undocumented immigrants at upcoming events. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin denied the account, stating the visit was a briefing for a narcotics investigation, but security camera footage shows officers inside the museum, contradicting her statement. Local aldermen and museum leadership condemned the action as intimidation, with the museum vowing to resist and continue its community programming.

Pete Hegseth Goes to War With Press Photographers

Pete Hegseth Goes to War With Press Photographers

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has banned press photographers from Pentagon briefings on the U.S.-Israeli military conflict with Iran. The reported reason for the ban is Hegseth's displeasure over "unflattering" photographs taken during a recent press address, with the Pentagon stating it will now release official photos online instead.