The 9 Most Anticipated Museum Openings of 2024
What are the most exciting new art institutions opening (and reopening) around the world this year?
Courtesy DCT Abu Dhabi.
1. teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.
teamLab Borderless, one of the biggest openings planned for 2023, is scheduled to finally open on 9 February at the Azabudai Hills development in Tokyo.
Coming hard on its heels is teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, a 17,000 square-metre experiential art space that's over 70% complete and scheduled to open this year.
The mammoth space will be located in the Saadiyat Cultural District alongside Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, which is scheduled to open in 2025.
teamLab says the experience will be defined by interactions with the natural environment.
2. Kunstsilo, Norway
A grain silo built in 1934 will reopen on 11 May as the Kunstsilo art museum in Kristiansand, Norway. Built at a cost of around U.S. $66 million, the museum will have some 2,400 square metres of exhibition space spread across three storeys.
The museum's collection combines works from the collection of former hedge fund manager Nicolai Tangen, which focuses on Nordic Modernist art, and works from the local government's collection.
3. Grand Egyptian Museum, Egypt
Perhaps the most anticipated museum on last year's list returns this year after ongoing delays. The $1 billion museum is now slated to open in Giza late spring.
The museum will house a trove of ancient Egyptian artefacts, including treasures from Tutankhamun's tomb.
4. São Paulo Museum of Art, Brazil
The Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP), which features an iconic 1968 building designed by Lina Bo Bardi, will open a major expansion in late 2024.
The project, which began in 2019, consists of the construction of a new building, named after Lina's husband, Pietro Maria Bardi, who was the museum's first artistic director.
The addition of the new 14-storey Pietro building will increase the museum's exhibition space by 66% to 17,680 square metres.
5. Hampi Art Labs, India
Set on 18-acres of land in Bellary, Karnataka, Hampi Art Labs was founded by art patron Sangita Jindal and her daughter Tarini Jindal Handa.
The art centre, which was designed by Mumbai-based architect Sameep Padora, comprises exhibition spaces, studios and apartments for residencies, gardens, and a café.
Hampi Art Labs will open on 6 February with an exhibition of works from the Jindal Collection called Right Foot First. Featured artists include Shilpa Gupta, Bharti Kher, Andy Warhol, and Ai Weiwei.
6. Yokohama Museum of Art, Japan
The Yokohama Museum of Art will reopen on 15 March following renovations that lasted three years. Among the changes are two new galleries and a redesign of the 'Grand Gallery' as a more open space, renamed the 'Jiyu Area' to emphasise freedom for visitors to enjoy it.
7. Palmer Museum of Art, U.S.A.
Penn State's Museum of Art will nearly double its footprint when its new 73,000-square-foot building opens on 1 June. Located in The Arboretum, the building will include 20 galleries, educational and event spaces, a museum store and café, a sculpture path and outdoor terraces.
Dale Chihuly's site-specific installation Lupine Blue Persian Wall (2024) will be revealed at the building's opening along with new acquisitions by artists such as Fernando "Coco" Bedoya, Malcolm Mobutu Smith, Toshiko Takaezu, and Arnold Zimmerman.
8. Museum Reinhard Ernst, Germany
Reinhard Ernst, who made his money manufacturing machine parts, will open a museum to display his extensive post-war art collection this year. Located in Wiesbaden, west of Frankfurt, the 8,910 square metre museum was designed by Pritzker Prize-winner Fumihiko Maki.
Works in the collection of more than 860 paintings and sculptures favour abstraction, including pieces by Josef Albers, Richard Diebenkorn, Helen Frankenthaler, and a number of pieces from the school of Japanese Gutai.
9. The Frick Collection, U.S.A.
After operating out of a temporary location on Madison Avenue, the Frick Collection will reopen on New York City's Fifth Avenue this year.
The institution's first major upgrade since 1935 will see the second floor of the historic mansion open to the public for the first time.
The first floor will have dedicated exhibition space for special exhibitions, and other parts of the building will be modernised, including the conservation studios. —[O]
