What to do on a Sunday afternoon during a worldwide pandemic? Well, honestly, you don’t have a lot of options. Of course you could go for a walk, which seems to be everyone’s newest hobby. Which also has its downsides; whenever you decide to go to your local forest or park, you’ll never walk alone. And contrary to the song, that’s not all positive in this scenario. So, what else is there to do except for staying at home?
Of course this depends on where you live, but lots of countries still allow museums to open their doors. It’s a relatively safe way to still soak in some culture during Covid-19. Access is easy to control and therefore it’s not difficult to prevent crowds from developing. It’s also one of the only parts of the cultural sector which can still operate in some kind of way so if you want to support your local museum, buy a ticket and go see that exhibition.
Are you tired of the museums you have access to? Have you seen everything (even though that’s not really possible)? Or do you want to plan a cultural getaway for once the pandemic is over already? Well, then it may be a good idea to go and discover some new museums. Even though corona has definitely made things more difficult, there are still a lot of new institutions which plan to open this year. We made a list of the five we are most excited about, so get out your notebook and get planning.
1. M+, Hong Kong
According to their website, “M+ is a museum dedicated to collecting, exhibiting, and interpreting visual art, design and architecture, moving image, and Hong Kong visual culture of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries”. M+ has been active in the cultural world since 2012 already, but only now the organization will have a permanent base. The building, which looks very promising in itself and which was designed by Herzog & de Meuron and Farrells, was completed in 2020 and will be one of the world’s biggest museums of modern and contemporary visual culture. Find out more here.
2. Humboldt Forum, Berlin (Germany)
When looking at the façade of this remarkable landmark, you’ll be confronted with two worlds. A reconstructed baroque palace and a modern touch by Franco Stella. The building was completed in 2020 and houses, amongst some restaurants and a movie theater, the Ethnological Museum of Berlin and the Museum of Asian Art. Humboldt Forum is set to become the German equivalent of the British Museum and will therefore also be admission-free. Apart from exhibitions, the museum will also concentrate on events and a more educational role. Find out more here.
3. Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection, Paris (France)
The most famous museum of Paris will probably always be the Louvre. When you’re done visiting that classic, you might want to consider stopping by the Bourse de Commerce once it’s open. This is a project funded by the French businessman François Pinault which will house a significant part of his private contemporary art collection in what was once the Parisian stock exchange. Pinault is also the man behind the Venice museums Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana so the project is set to be very promising. Find out more here.
4. New Hans Christian Andersen Museum, Odense (Denmark)
When we were little, we were without a doubt all read the world-renowned fairytales of Hans Christian Andersen. And even if you’re not a fan of books, you will certainly be acquainted with classics like ‘The Little Mermaid’ or ‘The Ugly Duckling’. As one of Denmark’s most famous residents, Andersen has had a museum complex of his own in Odense for a long time. But something new is about to be added to the museum experience. Japanese architect Kengo Kuma began designing the New Hans Christian Andersen Museum, also known as the House of Fairytales, in 2016 and the building is set to open in the coming year. It will consist of a series of cylindrical volumes and it will offer an immersive experience into the writer’s fairytales. Find out more here.
5. Grand Egyptian Museum, Giza (Egypt)
History lovers will recognize Giza as the hometown of some of Egypt’s most famous pyramids. The Grand Egyptian Museum will be located about two kilometers from those pyramids and will be the world’s biggest archeological museum. If you want to set free your inner Indiana Jones, this will be the perfect place to do so – without touching anything, of course. The building will house a big number of artefacts of Ancient Egypt, including the whole Tutankhamun collection. Most of the collection on display has never been shown to the public before, so this is your chance to see something special. Find out more here.
