From a century-old Russian power plant to Paris’ former stock exchange, art is finding new homes in unexpected venues around the world this year

1. He Art Museum

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Courtesy of He Art Museum

Where: Guangdong, China
Opening date: TBC

Owned by the He family, founder of the Midea electronics company, He Art Museum (HEM) is designed by Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Tadao Ando, who has integrated Cantonese elements by using overlapping circles to build a structure that symbolises “He”, which means harmony in Chinese. 

The private art museum is dedicated to modern Chinese art and global contemporary art. By highlighting local artists alongside world-renowned names like Picasso, Calder, and Warhol, HEM is set to become a new cultural landmark in the Canton region.

Find out more at hem.org

2. X Museum

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Above Photo: Courtesy of Temp Studio

Where: Beijing, China
Opening date: TBC

Opened by Michael Xufu Huang, a 25 year-old collector who co-founded Beijing museum M WOODS, X Museum is an art space devoted to contemporary Chinese art by millennial artists, whose works are influenced by globalisation and the reflection of crossed continents, cultures and ideas—as suggested by the name “X”. 

The inaugural exhibition will define the “zeitgeist of the millennial” with a triennial, featuring 33 emerging Chinese artists under the age of 40, which explores the relationship between media and technology in the 2020s.

Find out more at facebook.com

3. Bourse de Commerce

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Above Photo: Courtesy of Bourse de Commerce

Where: Paris, France
Opening date: June 2020

The 19th century Bourse de commerce—the former Paris stock exchange—will be converted into an art museum by French billionaire François Pinault, founder of international luxury group Kering. 

Tadao Ando, who also designed Pinault’s museums in Venice, is in charge of transforming the dome-shaped building, which will house some 5,000 works from Pinault’s private collection, including pieces by Albert Oehlen to Louise Bourgeois.

Find out more at boursedecommerce.en

4. Planet Word

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Above Photo; Courtesy of Planet Word

Where: Washington D.C., United States
Opening date: May 31, 2020

Explore the power of words at Planet World, a museum dedicated to inspire and renew a love of language. Playful, interactive exhibits and experiences—from the menu in the café to the walls in the bathrooms to the floors and the stairwells—will evoke visitors’ curiosity about language at every corner. 

Through engaging in multi-sensory activities, visitors will discover the importance of literacy and the power of their own voice. 

Find out more at planetwordmuseum.org

5. Museum of the Future

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Above Photo: Courtesy of Museum of the Future

Where: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Opening date: September 2020

An initiative of the Dubai Future Foundation, Museum of the Future is a torus-shaped, calligraphy-covered structure which will dedicate to the future of science, technology and innovation. 

The museum will incorporate themes from past exhibitions of the annual World Government Summit, exploring timely topics from climate change and food security, to the role of robotics and artificial intelligence on human life. 

Find out more at museumofthefuture.ae

6. Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

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Above Photo: Courtesy of Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

Where: Los Angeles, United States
Opening dates: December 14, 2020

Set to be the nation's first large-scale museum entirely dedicated to celebrating the art and history of film, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is recognisable by its domed glass roof designed by Pritzker-prize winning architect Renzo Piano. 

The museum will be home to two state-of-the-art theatres, an alfresco piazza, an education studio, rotating galleries, project spaces, fine dining and casual restaurants, and an open-air terrace overlooking the Hollywood Hills.

Find out more at academymuseum.org

7. GES-2

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Above Photo: Courtesy of V-A-C Foundation

Where: Moscow, Russia
Opening date: September 2020

Russian billionaire Leonid Mikhelson has partnered up with world-renowned architect Renzo Piano to launch GES-2, a former power plant near the Kremlin, redeveloped into a sustainable art centre. 

V-A-C Foundation by Leonid Mikhelson is the backbone of the cultural space, which is set to host an artist residency block, an amphitheatre, an education centre and a library. Visitors can expect to see works of Wassily Kandinsky, Gerhard Richter and Christopher Wool in the V-A-C exhibition. 

8. Grand Egyptian Museum

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04 August 2019, Egypt, Giza: Workers clean the area next to a giant statue of the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II in hall of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza outside Cairo. Photo: Hassan Mohamed/dpa (Photo by Hassan Mohamed/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Above Photo: Getty Images

Where: Cairo, Egypt 
Opening date: End of 2020

One of the most anticipated museum openings of 2020, Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) will be the world’s largest archeological museum dedicated to a single civilisation, displaying 50,000 artefacts and never-before-seen relics of King Tutankhamun.

Located outside central Cairo, the GEM unfolds one of the world’s greatest civilisations with a prime location facing the world-famous Giza pyramids, featuring a grand staircase lined with historic statues, a 3-D cinema, an interactive children's museum, the Tutankhamun gallery and ancient objects relocated from museums in different cities of Egypt.

9. Museum of Underwater Art

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Above Photo: Courtesy of Museum of Underwater Art

Where: Queensland, Australia
Opening date: April 2020

Ever thought you could visit a museum underwater? While the ocean is a natural exhibit of vibrant marine life in itself, the Museum of Underwater Art (MOUA) uses the power of art to highlight the the beauty of our natural masterpiece—the Great Barrier Reef, which is also the world's largest coral reef system. 

Through the artwork of underwater sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor, MOUA hopes to usher in a new era of environmentally-aware tourism and promote reef conservation, restoration and education on a global scale. 

Find out more at moua.com.au

See also: China's Most Visited Museums Go Digital In 2020

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