Next generation of Guggenheim family finds home in Abu Dhabi
When Guggenheim Abu Dhabi opens on December 11, it will carry a family name that has helped shape modern art for nearly a century. Long before visitors queued outside its museums, mining magnate Solomon R Guggenheim was buying abstract paintings with the encouragement of artist Hilla Rebay in the 1920s, building a collection that would eventually need a home of its own. Decades later, his niece…
A new chapter in the Guggenheim family's legacy unfolds as they settle in Abu Dhabi. When the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi museum opens on December 11, the family name will be synonymous with modern art, having shaped the art world for nearly a century. The story begins with Solomon R Guggenheim, who began collecting abstract paintings in the 1920s and built a collection so significant that it required a permanent home.
His niece Peggy championed artists like Jackson Pollock, giving them the support they needed to pursue their careers. Solomon's collection found a permanent home in Frank Lloyd Wright's New York museum, which opened in 1959, ten years after his death. Peggy settled in Venice, opening her home and collection to visitors. The Guggenheim's reach expanded with the opening of its Gehry-designed museum in Bilbao in 1997, transforming the Spanish city into an international art destination.
A museum in Abu Dhabi followed in 2006, bringing Solomon's great-great-grandson Dillon Lawson-Johnston to the UAE. Now making Abu Dhabi his home, Dillon has taken on the responsibility of representing his family's legacy. He sees himself as more than just a passive inheritor, but someone who wants to play a meaningful role in the Guggenheim's future.
His grandfather's belief in the power of museums to change a city's cultural life inspired him to co-found an investment firm and explore opportunities in the UAE. Through his foundation work and participation in Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's programs, Dillon hopes to help younger Emiratis and other UAE residents engage with the arts and build lasting relationships with the museum.
As the museum prepares to open, Dillon envisions a future where the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi becomes a beacon of cultural exchange, connecting people around the world to the rich artistic heritage of West Asia, North Africa, and South Asia.
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