From the much-anticipated Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza to the world’s largest Edvard Munch collection in Oslo, here are 8 noteworthy museum openings you can look forward to visiting once international borders open up
1. Haruki Murakami Library, Tokyo
Opening spring 2021
Something for the Murakami fans: The Waseda International House of Literature, nicknamed the Haruki Murakami library, is a gallery dedicated to the award-winning Japanese novelist, most famous for bestselling books Norwegian Wood and 1Q84. The in-campus library in Tokyo’s Waseda University (where Murakami was an alumnus) allows visitors the chance to browse the novelist’s personal archive (which he donated to the school), as well as a collection of his translated works. The gallery is designed by renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma.
2. M+, Hong Kong
Opening late 2021
Located in the West Kowloon Cultural District, this contemporary visual culture museum will be devoted to 20th and 21st-century art, design, architecture and moving images from Hong Kong, mainland China and around Asia. The 65,000 sq. m building, shaped like an inverted alphabet T, will boast a towering LED exterior for screening artworks, three cinemas and a roof garden offering sweeping views of Victoria Harbour and the city skyline. Upon completion, the M+ will also be one of the world’s largest museums.
3. MUNCH, Oslo
Opening summer 2021
Oslo will soon officially be home to the world’s largest Edvard Munch collection this summer. Located on the city’s waterfront, the museum comprises eleven galleries each taking visitors through the Expressionist artist’s career. The collection is extensive and truly impressive — fans of the artist can expect over 26,000 of his works and 10,000 personal items, including two painted versions of the famous The Scream. The art isn’t just the biggest design draw here: the museum, designed by Madrid-based Estudio Herreros, is housed in a gleaming 13-floor tower building outfitted in a perforated aluminium and overlooking the Oslo Fjord. Talk about a view.
4. Grand Egyptian Museum, Giza
Opening June 2021
Arguably the most hotly-anticipated museum opening since plans were first announced in 1992, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) is set to be the world’s biggest archaeological museum. The state-of-the-art and sprawling 500,000 sq. m site looks out at the famous pyramids of Giza and will house over 100,000 Egyptian artefacts ranging from pre-history to the Greco-Roman period. Expect the largest collection of relics from Tutankhamun’s tomb (many of which have never been seen before by public), newly excavated sarcophagi from the necropolis of Saqqara and other monuments too massive for the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The expansive space is impressive: upon stepping into the museum, be greeted by the jaw-dropping sight of an 11-metre-high granite statue of Ramses the Great.
5. Humboldt Forum, Berlin
Opening early 2021
Initially scheduled to open in December 2020, the Humboldt Forum is poised to become Europe’s most ambitious and largest cultural undertaking. The 40,000 sq. m complex, housed in a newly reconstructed 18th-century Prussian palace, will showcase Berlin’s non-European museum collections, featuring over 20,000 objects from Asia, Africa and Oceania. Billed as Germany’s answer to the Louvre, visitors can expect ethnological artifacts from Mayan sculptures, all housed in the renovated Baroque palace. It will also stage roughly a thousand cultural events and exhibitions once the full programme rolls out.
6. Bourse de Commerce-Pinault Collection, Paris
Opening date to be confirmed
Poised to open this year and located just a stone’s throw away from Musee du Louvre in Paris, the Bourse de Commerce-Pinault Collection is a private art collection of French billionaire François Pinault. Housed in Paris’ former stock exchange, the Bourse’s redesign is masterminded by renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando, who has elegantly restored the circular building’s original volumes. While the opening date has now been postponed, this will no doubt be one of Paris’ most anticipated cultural projects.
7. Pudong Art Museum, Shanghai
Opening mid-2021
Designed by Atelier Jean Nouvel, construction of the new Pudong Art Museum started in September 2017 and is due to open in mid-2021. The new museum will be located next to Shanghai’s landmark Oriental Pearl TV Tower. Under a 2019 partnership with state-owned developer Shanghai Lujiazui Grup, London’s Tate Museum will be organising three exhibitions drawn from its collection and also advise on museum operations.
8. Hans Christian Andersen Museum, Odense
Fans of the celebrated writer, most famous for his fairy tales that have captured the imagination of children for generations, will love this new museum dedicated to his work. Opening this summer in his hometown, the museum promises to be every bit as magical as his books. Giant toadstools, hanging gardens, and reed-fringed ponds are just some of the features visitors can look forward to. Most of the 5,600-square-metree museum, designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, will be situated below ground. The new site will also be home to Tinderbox, an interactive kid- and family-friendly area with events and workshops.
