With global attention fixed on the Gulf’s ascendent art market, Dubai has unveiled plans for its first art museum dedicated to modern and contemporary art.

The Dubai Museum of Art (DUMA) will be designed by Pritzker Prize–winning Japanese architect Tadao Ando and constructed along Dubai Creek, an inlet of the Persian Gulf. The project is being developed by the Al-Futtaim Group conglomerate, with the support of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the current ruler of Dubai who also serves as vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates. No opening date has been confirmed.

“Culture and art are the soul of a city and a lens through which its progress is seen,” Sheikh Al Maktoum said in a statement. “They reflect its vision and the depth of its humanitarian mission. The Dubai Museum of Art will be a new beacon for the city, enhancing its arts scene and further strengthening its global cultural status.”

According to Ando, DUMA’s design is inspired by two symbols of Dubai’s heritage: the sea and the pearl. Renderings reveal a five-story museum enclosed by a curved shell and linked to the waterfront by a tree-lined promenade. Light will cascade th...