11 Amazing Art Spaces Opening in 2019

From Shanghai to San Antonio, a number of cities will see exciting art spaces open their doors this year. Some of these spaces, like the Bauhaus Museum in Dessau, Germany, will celebrate the enduring legacy of historical movements, while others, like The Shed in New York, seek to draw crowds by tapping art-world heavyweights to come up with bold ideas. And thanks to the vision of some of the world’s top architects, each of these buildings might even be considered a work of art in itself.

Here, we’ve gathered 11 highly anticipated art museums and exhibition venues that are debuting this year.

The arched window of MK Gallery offers views of Campbell Park. Photo: 6a Architects

1. MK Gallery
Milton Keynes, United Kingdom

London-based 6a Architects designed this museum to celebrate the unique history of the young city of Milton Keynes, which was designated in 1967. Inside, five galleries will house work by Old Masters and contemporary artists alike, while the focal Sky Room—which features sweeping views of Campbell Park—will welcome lecturers, performance artists, and even comedians.

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Rendering of the Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement, St. Petersburg, Florida. Photo: Alfonso Architects

2. Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement
St. Petersberg, Florida

Drawing on its extensive collection of furniture, pottery, tile, metalwork, lighting, and photography from the late 1800s and early 1900s in America, this institution is distinguished by its eye-catching black-and-white façade, the work of Alfonso Architects.

Rendering of Bauhaus Museum in Dessau, Germany. Photo: Addenda Architects

3. Bauhaus Museum
Dessau, Germany

For a signature design in which it nested one building within another, Barcelona firm Addenda architects was selected to design this historical institution from 831 submissions. Its unveiling will mark 100 years since the founding of the Bauhaus school of art and will be celebrated with an inaugural exhibition of the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation’s extensive collection, “Versuchsstätte Bauhaus.”

The newly expanded Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida. Photo: Courtesy of the Norton Museum of Art

4. Norton Museum of Art
West Palm Beach, Florida

Foster + Partners are overseeing the dramatic expansion of the Norton Museum, which first opened to the public in 1941. In addition to a plethora of classrooms and galleries, the updated campus will also be home to a residency program, with six renovated 1920s-era cottages serving as artist accommodations. Right now, the Norton is preparing for a solo exhibition of works by lauded artist Nina Chanel Abney, slated to open on February 9.

Rendering of San Antonio’s Ruby City. Photo: Adjaye Associates

5. Ruby City
San Antonio, Texas

The work of architect Sir David Adjaye, this vibrant, cantilevered home for the Linda Pace Foundation fulfills Pace’s vision of a ruby-colored art city, which came to her in a dream. Inside, works from the late philanthropist’s 800-plus collection of contemporary artwork will be on view.

Rendering of the West Bund Art Museum in Shanghai. Photo: David Chipperfield Architects

6. West Bund Art Museum
Shanghai

Part of a master plan to revitalize 3.4 square miles of former industrial land, the West Bund Art Museum will house multiple exhibitions organized by the Pompidou Centre in Paris, part of a cultural collaboration between France and China.

The Shed is located on Manhattan’s High Line. Photo: Diller Scofidio + Renfro

7. The Shed
New York, New York

One of the most anticipated venues opening in 2019, The Shed, designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Rockwell Group, is located on Manhattan’s High Line. The massive structure is unique for its mobile component—specifically, an eight-million-pound shell that can be deployed over an adjacent plaza to create an enclosed performance venue. The Shed will kick off its spring programming with the world premiere of Björk’s Cornucopia, a concert production directed by Tony Award winner John Tiffany.

Rendering of Tank Shanghai. Photo: Courtesy of Qiao Collection

8. Tank Shanghai
Shanghai

Located in and around five decommissioned oil tanks that were used to store airplane fuel a century ago, this art campus by Open Architecture both preserves and reimagines its industrial past. The venture is being launched by Chinese entrepreneur Qiao Zhibing, who started collecting in the 1980s as a means of decorating his line of popular nightclubs.

New galleries at the Hood Museum of Art. Photo: Michael Moran

9. Hood Museum
Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 

Architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien—whose firm designed the Obama Presidential Center planned for Chicago—undertook the expansion and renovation of this 1985 museum, which was designed by Charles W. Moore and Chad Floyd. Consisting of some 65,000 objects, the Hood’s collection is one of the largest and oldest possessed by any college or university in the United States. At the moment, the Hood is preparing to open new installations of historical art, from Native American pottery and portraits to the Japanese calligraphy of Shiko Munakata and a photography exhibition exploring the nature of consent.

The M+ Museum in Hong Kong. Photo: Herzog & de Meuron

10. M+ Museum
Hong Kong

Scheduled for completion in December, this 700,000-square-foot complex sits in the burgeoning West Kowloon Cultural District. Pritzker Prize–winning firm Herzog & de Meuron crafted the space, which will showcase  design and architecture from the 20th and 21st century.

The new headquarters for Pace Gallery. Photo: Courtesy of Bonetti / Kozerski Architecture

11. Pace Gallery
New York

In September, Pace Gallery is slated to christen its new eight-story flagship in Chelsea, masterminded by Bonetti Kozerski Architecture & Design. The 75,000-square-foot location will feature significant indoor and outdoor gallery space, as well as a research library and an open art-storage facility.