Museums today have a very special socio-cultural significance and part of their message and image is undoubtedly their architecture.
In many parts of the world, there is a spectacular boom in the total or partial construction, remodelling and refurbishment of museums. This new museum era is reflected in the contemporary trends of its buildings, with architects, the great creators of these temples, gaining great prominence .
From Horse Magazine we anticipate the inauguration of these six new museums in different cities around the world and we tell you what you can find in them.
Louvre Museum (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates)
The new Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi is located in the cultural district that is being built on Saadiyat Island and covers an area of more than 9,000 square metres. It will be inaugurated on 11 November. Designed by French architect Jean Nouvel as a museum city rather than a building, it has 55 individual buildings, including 23 galleries, all covered by a large perforated dome that filters the sunlight and appears to float on water.
Louvre Museum, Abu Dhabi – Images by Mohamed Somji
What can we see? From its inauguration and for the next ten years, the Louvre Abu Dhabi will receive on loan works from the French collections. Similarly, for the first fifteen years, France will provide the Louvre Abu Dhabi with four exhibitions a year. Finally, it will help the museum to build up its own collection to gradually replace the works on loan.
Zeitz Mocaa Museum (Cape Town, South Africa)
In a former grain silo built in the 1920s, Africa’s first museum dedicated solely to contemporary art opened its doors on 22 September, the largest museum to be built in over a century.
Museo Zeitz Mocaa, Cape Town – Imagen de Iwan Bann
The museum, which will focus on African artists, on the continent and in the diaspora, is set to become the most important showcase of African art in the world. The London studio of Thomas Heatherwick has been in charge of the remodelling of the more than 6,000 square metres of this building located on the city’s waterfront.
Zeitz Mocaa Museum, Cape Town – Images by Iwan Bann
Yves Saint Laurent Museum (Marrakech, Morocco)
On 3 October, during Paris Fashion Week, the new museum dedicated to the designer’s work will be inaugurated in the French capital. And to go with it, another one will be inaugurated in Marrakech, the city that Saint Laurent fell in love with at the end of the sixties.
Pierre Bergé, who was Saint Laurent’s sentimental partner for decades, and his foundation, have been the architects of both projects, among which the Moroccan one stands out because of its size.
Yves Saint Laurent Museum, Marrakech
The architectural studio KO has been commissioned to design this museum, which in addition to housing a permanent and a temporary exhibition space, includes an auditorium, a bookshop, a library and a restaurant. Garments, accessories, sketches and other objects in a selection from the impressive collection of the Pierre Bergé Foundation, previously stored in Paris, can now be seen in this museum under the scenography of Christophe Martin.
MACAN Museum (Jakarta, Indonesia)
The Nusantara Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art will be the first museum dedicated to modern and contemporary art in Indonesia. Its 2,000 square metre building and some 500 square metres of interior garden will house more than 800 works by local and foreign artists. The opening is scheduled for 4 November and its main objective is to make art accessible to the general public, especially to young people.
Interior of MACAN Museum, Jakarta – Images courtesy of MACAN
The inaugural exhibition will be made up of around 90 pieces from the private collection of its founder, Haryanto Adikoesoemo, who has managed to gather more than 800 pieces over the last 25 years. Among the best known international artists are Jeff Koons, Andy Warhol and Anish Kapoor.
The exterior has been designed by the architectural studio ARK design, while the interiors have been designed by the London firm MET Studio Design Ldt.
Exterior of MACAN Museum, Jakarta – Image courtesy of MACAN
Museum of the Bible (Washington D.C., United States)
Not without controversy, on 17 November the Museum of the Bible will open its doors, a mass of almost 40,000 square metres dedicated entirely to one of the most influential books in the history of mankind. The architect of the giant: David Greenbaum.
Museum of the Bible, Washington D.C.
In an immersive, interactive and high-tech environment, visitors can “step into” history as they walk around the collection of more than 40,000 objects it houses. Some of the most curious are the Elvis Presley Bible or the Lunar Bible that astronaut Edgar Mitchell took on the space mission to the moon.
Design Society (Shenzhen, China)
The Design Society Foundation is not a museum per se, but rather a cultural centre that will include a gallery of London’s famous Victoria and Albert Museum dedicated to the industrial design of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Exterior of the Design Society, Shenzhen – Image de Maki and associates
The building, designed by Fumihiko Maki, will open to the public in October as China’s first institution dedicated to design. Located in the Shekou district of the city of Shenzhen, it will house not only the main museum hall, but also a theatre, shops and other areas with different functions.
Exterior of the Design Society, Shenzhen – Image de Maki and associates
Welt Museum Wien (Vienna, Austria)
Also not to be missed is the reopening of the Welt Museum Wien, Vienna’s former Museum of Ethnology, on 25 October after three years closed for renovation.
Welt Museum Wien, Viena
Considered one of the world’s leading ethnographic museums thanks to its extensive collections of ethnographic objects, historical photographs and publications on non-European cultures, it will celebrate its return in style with a show by André Heller against the backdrop of the Hofburg Imperial Palace.
