Zayed Museum spotlight
The recently opened Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi is being used as a platform for Emirati designers and artists, positioning the building as a cultural stage as much as an object — Wallpaper* highlights its role in amplifying local design voices. The coverage frames the museum as a significant cultural‑design moment for the UAE (wallpaper.com).
Agata Kurzela Studio was commissioned ([kurzela.com)] to lead the creative direction, interior curatorship and bespoke furniture across roughly 3,000 m² of public, VIP, hospitality and research spaces within the museum ([maison.marieclairearabia.com)]. Kurzela’s team designed the Al Liwan modular seating system and multiple majlis suites, and specified hand‑finished coffee tables and carpets edged with tarbush‑inspired tassels as part of the museum’s fitted furniture program ([wallpaper.com)]. The Zayed National Museum opened to the public on December 3, 2025 ([wam.ae)] and presents six permanent galleries that the museum says span roughly 300,000 years of regional human history ([gulfnews.com)]. Norman Foster’s Foster + Partners delivered the building’s emblematic roof and feather‑like steel forms inspired by a falcon in flight, architectural moves that also contribute to natural ventilation and a rooftop lookout over Saadiyat Island ([fosterandpartners.com)]. Exhibition content and bespoke multisensory experiences were developed in collaboration with Zayed University and New York University Abu Dhabi, and the permanent displays incorporate family‑donated heirlooms and a full‑scale Magan boat reconstruction produced through those research partnerships ([mediaoffice.abudhabi)]. TIME magazine included the Zayed National Museum on its World’s Greatest Places 2026 list, naming it among 100 destinations for the 2026 edition published March 12, 2026 ([time.com)].
