Museum Openings that we’re excited about in 2019

As 2019 approaches we’re anticipating another exciting year in the world of museums with new institutions and extensions boosting tourism and helping to reinvigorate cities.

From new architectural marvels to those redefining what a museum should be in the 21st century, these are the museum openings happening in 2019 that we’re most excited about.

Image Credit: Arter, Dolapdere, architectural rendering Grimshaw Architects

Arter,
Istanbul, Turkey

An affiliate of the Vehbi Koç Foundation (VKF), Arter was opened in 2010 with the aim of providing a sustainable infrastructure for producing and exhibiting contemporary art.

Its new building in the Dolapdere district of Istanbul is scheduled to open in late 2019, which also marks the 50th anniversary of the Vehbi Koç Foundation, Arter will present exhibitions from but not limited to the VKF Contemporary Art Collection as well as performances and events across disciplines, expanding the range of its programmes.

Arter’s new building is designed by Grimshaw Architects (UK) and has 18,000 square meters of indoor area. In addition to exhibition galleries and a sculpture terrace, the building will house performance halls, learning areas, a library, a conservation laboratory, an arts bookstore, and a café.

Image Credit: National Museum of Qatar by Iwan Baan

National Museum of Qatar,
Doha, Qatar

The Jean Nouvel-designed National Museum of Qatar will open March 28, 2019.

The immersive and experiential NMoQ tells the story of Qatar and its people from more than 700 million years ago through to today, giving voice to Qatar’s rich heritage and culture and expressing a vibrant community’s aspirations for the future — in 11 galleries, the museum will take visitors on a chronological journey beginning before human habitation and moving up through the present day.

Innovative presentation techniques are planned throughout: Entire walls will become cinema screens, individual cocoons will hold oral histories, and handheld mobile devices will guide visitors through the museum’s displays.

Image Credit: Image from The Shed

The Shed,
New York, USA

Opening in spring 2019, The Shed will be an arts center dedicated to commissioning, producing, and presenting all types of performing arts, visual arts, and popular culture.

The Shed’s 200,000-square-foot home comprises an eight-level base structure and a telescoping outer shell.

The base building holds two expansive, column-free galleries totaling 25,000 square feet of museum-quality space; a 500-seat black-box theater that can be subdivided into even more intimate spaces; event and rehearsal space; and a creative lab that will be provided free to early-career local artists.

Image Credit: Interior rendering of GES2 by RPBW Architects

GES-2
Moscow, Russia

Opening in late 2019, this former power station and grounds are being converted into a vast exhibition space for the V-A-C Foundation, an organisation dedicated to the promotion of Russian art.

GES-2 will be a social and cultural experience revolved around visual arts, performing arts, music but also science and sustainability. The project’s site is part of the “Red October” district which also includes a chocolate factory turned into a space for start-ups, cafés and restaurants; the Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture and Design and the historic Udarnik Theatre.

The 20,000 sq. m space will become an exciting cultural destination, offering new opportunities for artists and audiences on a local, national and international level.

Image Credit: Interior rendering of West Bund Art Museum from David Chipperfield Architects

Centre Pompidou Shanghai (West Bund),
Shanghai, China

The Centre Pompidou will be the latest European institution to open an outpost in China, when it opens a gallery in the West Bund Art Museum. The collaboration will present various cultural programs at the crossroads of artistic disciplines, drawing from the collections of Centre Pompidou but also presenting representative works of Chinese contemporary art.

More than 20 high-standard exhibitions and events will take place at the Centre Pompidou Shanghai (West Bund) during the first five years of its existence.

Image Credit: Exterior rendering from Ellis Island Foundation

Statue of Liberty Museum
New York, USA

Liberty Island is being transformed with a Statue of Liberty Museum opening in May 2019.

A mixture of history and technology, this exciting educational and engaging experience will feature the statue’s original torch, as well as stunning views of the Manhattan skyline. When completed, the Statue of Liberty Museum will be 26,000 square feet of history, inspiration and deeper analysis of the statue’s symbolism both in the US and around the world.

Image Credit: Exterior Render by Forbes Massie

Windermere Jetty
Windermere, England

Opening in Spring 2019, the Windermere Jetty is a new museum on the shores of Lake Windermere that showcases the sights, smells and sounds of life on the English Lakes.

Steam launches, sailing yachts, motor boats and record-breaking speed boats are exhibited in the boathouse, on the water, and in our exhibition galleries, while a conservation workshop where you can see the collection of historic boats being painstakingly restored will be open every day.

Image Credit: Palais Galliera by John Weiss

Palais Galliera,
Paris, France

The Palais Galliera, the City of Paris Fashion Museum will reopen in late 2019 following a large-scale renovation that will double its exhibition space which has been made possible by the House of Chanel.

The new galleries will be named Salles Gabrielle Chanel, and will cover an area of 670 m² in the red-brick vaulted cellars of the Palais. They will be used to accommodate large temporary exhibitions on both floors and, at other times, to display items from the museum’s permanent collection of 200,000 pieces – including clothes, accessories, photographs and graphic arts from the 18th century to the present day.

The Palais Galliera will thus become the first fashion museum in France to exhibit its permanent collection.

Image Credit: Rendering courtesy of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

The Academy Museum
Los Angeles, USA

Opening in 2019, the Academy Museum will be the world’s premier institution dedicated to the art and science of movies. Located on Wilshire and Fairfax in Los Angeles, the Museum will be simultaneously immersive, experimental, educational, and entertaining. More than a museum, this dynamic film center will offer unparalleled experiences and insights into movies and moviemaking.

This long-term exhibition will give visitors behind-the-scenes insights into the history of movies and moviemaking by immersing them in a cinematic world. The exhibition unfolds over 30,000 square feet on two floors of the Museum and combines evocative settings, key objects from the Academy’s unparalleled collections, and an array of projected multi-screen film presentations as we invite you to go inside the movies.

The Museum will open with Hayao Miyazaki, presented in collaboration with the filmmaker’s Studio Ghibli and the first major exhibition of his work presented in the United States (more on the opening exhibitions here).

Image Credit: Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss / Architect: Franco Stella

Humboldt Forum,
Berlin, Germany

The Humboldt Forum is a vast €595m museum and events space that will open in 2019 in a reconstructed royal palace.

German culture minister Monika Grütters described the museum as “The visiting card of the nation”. On completion in 2019 the City Palace will house the Ethnological Museum of Berlin and the Museum of Asian Art, as well as two restaurants, a theater, a movie theater and an auditorium.

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Some of these museums were delayed to 2020. You can find a list of Museums Opening in 2020 here.