Museum Development in the Gulf Narrative and Architecture

摘要

Museums have been present in the Gulf since the 1950s, and since 2000 there has been a proliferation of state-led large-scale 'iconic' projects, many of which are still under construction. Like their counterparts in Asia and the West, museum projects in the Gulf are not immune to the desire for iconic buildings by invited internationally recognised architects. Many of these developments have been highly criticised for trying to replicate Western-style museums and for 'importing culture'. However, by analysing the architectural form and the function of some of these new museums, in particular those in Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, it is possible to see how different aspects of the past are being employed to develop distinctive identities using locally derived themes to address a global audience.