The Most Anticipated Art Museum Openings and Expansions of 2026 |
Museums, regardless of their size, face a minefield of challenges, from how best to preserve, share and display artworks to how to attract new audiences while cultivating loyalty among visitors who might eventually become patrons to how to push boundaries without sparking (too much) backlash. And let’s not forget that these institutions, often seen as permanent fixtures, are anything but. New museums open with great fanfare, and others close—sometimes surprisingly quietly. As art historian and former Met president and CEO Daniel H. Weiss notes in Why the Museum Matters, these cultural beacons are vital to preserving our collective heritage, yet their futures remain precarious.
In the past year, museums have grappled with disastrous wildfires, much-derided rebrandings, overt attempts at censorship, declining attendance, the loss of federal funds and the longest government shutdown in history. Yet, the institutional landscape wasn’t entirely grim. Many major museums began exploring ways to engage new generations of supporters and new audiences. Some started welcoming four-legged visitors or hosting yoga classes. At many institutions, the humble museum café got Michelin-worthy upgrades. There was a trend of doctors prescribing museum visits, and science began studying how museums might boost well-being. And many more art museums opened last year than closed.
A few institutions, however, did not open as planned in 2025, which is why some of the most anticipated 2026 museum openings and expansions are holdovers from last year’s list. Will the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi finally open its doors after all this time? That remains to be seen, but there’s certainly a chance! Here’s what you can look forward to in the coming months:
Refik Anadol, who made headlines when his monumental work Unsupervised – Machine Hallucinations was acquired by MoMA, is set to make history by opening the world’s first institution dedicated entirely to championing, promoting and showcasing the creative synergy between art and A.I. Rescheduled for a spring 2026 debut, Dataland will be located in The Grand LA, the Frank Gehry-designed development in Los Angeles’ cultural epicenter, close to other important L.A. cultural institutions, such as The Broad, MOCA, The Music Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall, REDCAT and The Colburn School. The opening, Anadol told Observer, is the realization of a long-held dream. “With DATALAND, we will be able to create and exhibit immersive experiences that fully integrate digital art with architectural spaces in collaboration with renowned firms like Gensler and Arup.”
The long wait for the opening of the much-delayed Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is nearly over. Maybe. In 2024, Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism announced that the Saadiyat Cultural District was on track for completion by the end of 2025, but it was unclear when the Guggenheim outpost would actually open. With its striking Frank Gehry-designed building (that some have called the ugliest museum to ever be constructed) and a price tag of over a billion dollars, the enormous 320,000-square-foot museum initially announced almost two decades ago was supposed to go up in the 2010s, but the project was hit by construction delays and protests by artists and labor activists responding to the treatment of workers in Abu Dhabi. It’s anticipated that the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi will play a significant role in the cultural development of the U.A.E., along with the Louvre Abu Dhabi. And for those wondering if there will be further delays, construction is ongoing, and the Guggenheim’s updated brand identity includes Arabic in anticipation of the museum’s opening. And if not in 2026, then definitely in 2027.........