Elie Khouri Art Foundation to open in Dubai in 2028

The Elie Khouri Art Foundation is set to open its permanent home in Dubai in late 2028, transforming an existing villa in Jumeirah 1 into a contemporary art institution designed by acclaimed architect Sumayya Vally.

The foundation, established by French-Lebanese collector and entrepreneur Elie Khouri, will feature exhibition galleries, educational spaces, pavilions and gardens, alongside areas for public gatherings and cultural events.

Vally, founder of the Johannesburg- and London-based architecture practice Counterspace, is known for designing London's 2021 Serpentine Pavilion and serving as artistic director of the inaugural Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah in 2023.

Her vision for the Dubai project draws on the architecture of Beirut's streets and traditional Gulf courtyard houses, exploring the relationship between domestic spaces and public cultural institutions.

Khouri says the decision to convert an existing villa, rather than construct a museum, reflects the foundation's ambition to become part of its surrounding community.

“We wanted the Foundation to feel connected to the city and its neighbourhood, rather than exist as a stand-alone institution removed from its surroundings,” he tells The National.

“Located in Jumeirah, the villa offers an opportunity to create a contemporary art institution that retains a sense of intimacy, while introducing new spaces for exhibitions, learning and public engagement.”

Show caption: The foundation was established by French-Lebanese collector …

The design will retain elements of the building's domestic character, including architectural features that reflect its previous life as a home. Counterspace will use these details to inform the building's transformation, incorporating new spaces while preserving its connection to the site.

“I think of buildings as having many lives,” Vally says. “I am interested in what happens when we take these intimate geometries and give them a new public scale: when the architecture of a room becomes the architecture of a city-facing facade, and the memory of a house becomes the beginnings of an institution.”

The foundation is being developed under the direction of Caroline Louca, former managing director of Christie's Middle East, who previously worked on cultural projects including Louvre Abu Dhabi, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and Zayed National Museum.

Louca says Dubai's art scene has developed considerably over the past two decades, and the foundation hopes to contribute to its growth through exhibitions, education and public engagement.

“A central part of our approach is making the ideas and contexts behind contemporary art more accessible, without compromising curatorial rigour”, she says.

The foundation's initial exhibitions will draw from Khouri's collection, developed over more than 20 years and comprising works by established and emerging contemporary artists from different parts of the world.

Its programme will also include loans from private and institutional collections, collaborations with museums, and exhibitions developed by invited curators.

Artists from the UAE and the wider region will feature alongside international practitioners, although the foundation says it will prioritise artistic ideas over fixed geographical representation.

Khouri hopes the institution will eventually establish a lasting cultural legacy in Dubai, providing opportunities for audiences to encounter contemporary art beyond traditional gallery settings.

“Art belongs in everyday life, not apart from it,” he says. “My foundation will be a home for contemporary art, open to everyone. A place to inspire, challenge and spark dialogue.”

“Above all, I want to give something lasting back to Dubai and the wider UAE, a country that has given me so much, by helping build a cultural legacy for generations to come.”