Photo: bloodua/Depositphotos

For decades, seeing the Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum has meant navigating packed crowds, lifting a phone above hundreds of visitors, and catching only a brief glimpse of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous portrait. Now, the world’s most visited museum plans to completely transform that experience.

The Louvre recently unveiled the winning design team behind “Louvre Nouvelle Renaissance,” a sweeping redevelopment project focused on easing congestion, modernizing circulation, and creating a dedicated new home for the Mona Lisa. Selldorf Architects and STUDIOS Architecture Paris won the international competition alongside landscape architects Base. The project marks one of the museum’s largest architectural transformations since I. M. Pei’s glass pyramid debuted in 1989.

Instead of remaining inside the overcrowded Salle des États, the Mona Lisa will move into a purpose-built gallery beneath the Cour Carrée. The new exhibition space aims to give visitors a calmer and more immersive viewing experience while relieving pressure on the Louvre’s busiest rooms. The painting’s new setting will include a separate access point designed specifically to better manage the massive crowds that gather around the portrait each day.

The redesign centers on the Louvre’s eastern facade, known as the Grande Colonnade. Plans include new underground entrances, expanded pathways, updated infrastructure, and additional gallery spaces integrated beneath the historic palace complex. France’s Ministry of Culture praised the winning proposal for its ability to balance contemporary architecture with the surrounding heritage site while improving the overall visitor experience.

The project follows growing concern over overcrowding at the Louvre, which welcomes nearly 9 million visitors annually. The museum officials hope the redesign will encourage visitors to engage more deeply with the Louvre’s broader collection instead of rushing directly toward a single artwork.

Architecturally, the project continues the Louvre’s long history of reinvention. Early renderings show understated glass-and-stone interventions integrated into the landscape below the colonnade, creating a lighter connection between the palace exterior and the new subterranean spaces. Rather than competing with the historic architecture, the design attempts to fold contemporary elements quietly into the existing structure.

The announcement has already sparked conversation about the future of museum design and the challenge of balancing accessibility with preservation. Yet the project also reflects a larger cultural shift: major museums increasingly need to rethink how audiences move through spaces shaped by global tourism, social media, and blockbuster artworks that attract millions each year.

Construction will unfold over the next several years, with completion expected in the early 2030s. When finished, the redesign could reshape the Louvre experience entirely, shifting attention away from the frantic crowds surrounding a single painting and toward a more expansive encounter with the museum itself. For the Mona Lisa, whose fame has long outgrown her gallery, the move signals the beginning of a new chapter.

The Louvre is undergoing a massive redevelopment project.

Photo: TTstudio/Depositphotos

Part of the museum’s redesign will give the Mona Lisa its own dedicated gallery beneath the historic Cour Carrée.

The Cour Carrée of the Louvre Palace in Paris, France. (Photo: French Ministry of Culture)

The special project aims to ease the overwhelming crowds that flood the museum each year.

Photo: liptoncnx/Depositphotos

Louvre Museum: Website | Instagram

Sources: Catherine Pégard, Minister of Culture, announces the winning team of the Louvre Nouvelle Renaissance international architecture competition: STUDIOS Architecture Paris and Selldorf Architects; ‘Mona Lisa’ Is Moving to a New Home. The Louvre Just Announced the Architects Who Will Design Her Private Suite; Louvre Announces Mona Lisa Will Have Her Own Building in Major Redesign to Ease Tourist Scrum.

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For decades, fashion exhibitions at The Metropolitan Museum of Art occupied a tucked-away space beneath the museum’s iconic Great Hall. Now, that relationship has dramatically shifted. The institution recently unveiled the new Condé M. Nast Galleries, a nearly 12,000-square-foot suite of exhibition spaces designed by Peterson Rich Office, relocating fashion to one of the museum’s most visible and architecturally significant locations.

Positioned adjacent to the Great Hall, the galleries signal more than a physical expansion. They reflect a broader institutional statement about the role of fashion within the museum world. The new spaces debuted with Costume Art, an exhibition organized by The Costume Institute that places garments in conversation with paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts spanning centuries of human history.

Founded in 2014 by architects Miriam Peterson and Nathan Rich, Brooklyn-based Peterson Rich Office has become known for culturally driven projects that balance contemporary design with historical context. Its work at The Met required navigating one of the world’s most layered architectural institutions, a museum shaped through more than twenty expansions and renovations over the past century. Rather than impose a radically contrasting identity onto the site, the architects developed interiors that feel connected to the museum’s existing architectural language.

The galleries themselves unfold through five sequential rooms adapted from what was once an interior courtyard and later the museum’s gift shop. According to Peterson Rich Office, the design embraces a “deliberate paradox,” creating spaces that feel permanent and monumental while remaining flexible enough to host ever-changing exhibitions.

To achieve this balance, the architects introduced a restrained material palette rooted in classical museum architecture. Grey marmorino plaster walls echo the texture and tonality of neighboring Greek and Roman galleries, while oversized oak doors framed by limestone arches establish a sense of procession and permanence. Structural columns conceal lighting, climate, and exhibition infrastructure, allowing curators to continuously reconfigure displays without disrupting the visual calm of the interiors.

One of the project’s greatest strengths is how naturally the new galleries fit within The Met itself. Instead of standing apart from the museum’s historic Beaux-Arts architecture, the spaces feel as though they have always been part of the building. Their open layout and thoughtful design also bring a more contemporary sense of movement and accessibility, allowing visitors to encounter fashion exhibitions directly beside some of the museum’s most iconic collections rather than tucked away underground.

The inaugural exhibition, Costume Art, further reinforces this architectural argument. Curated by Andrew Bolton, the show presents roughly 200 garments and accessories alongside 200 artworks from across the museum’s collection. Themes such as “The Classical Body,” “The Aging Body,” and “The Disabled Body” explore how fashion shapes perceptions of identity, beauty, and the human figure across cultures and eras.

Importantly, the architecture was designed not simply as a neutral container for fashion, but as an active participant in the exhibition experience. The restrained interiors allow garments, artworks, and mannequins to take visual precedence while still surrounding visitors with a palpable sense of material richness. Wide limestone openings create cinematic transitions between rooms, and the sequencing of spaces encourages visitors to move slowly and contemplatively through the galleries.

The project is also part of a much larger institutional transformation underway at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Beyond the Condé M. Nast Galleries, Peterson Rich Office is reimagining the museum’s dining spaces, retail areas, and public entrance at 83rd Street and Fifth Avenue in an effort to improve circulation and create more welcoming visitor experiences throughout the building.

In many ways, the Condé M. Nast Galleries embody a larger shift happening across museums internationally, where architecture increasingly reflects changing definitions of what deserves institutional prominence. By giving fashion a luminous, monumental home at the center of one of the world’s greatest museums, The Met and Peterson Rich Office have transformed the perception of costume from supplementary material into a central form of cultural expression.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new Condé M. Nast Galleries relocate fashion exhibitions from the museum’s basement into a monumental suite of rooms beside the iconic Great Hall.

Designed by Peterson Rich Office, the galleries combine limestone arches, oak doors, and marmorino plaster walls to create interiors that feel both historic and distinctly contemporary.

By placing costume exhibitions at the center of one of the world’s most prestigious museums, the project reframes fashion as a major form of cultural and artistic expression.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Website | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Peterson Rich Office.

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READ: The Metropolitan Museum of Art Unveils Its Fashion Galleries, Highlighting Fashion’s Place in Museums

Photo: Courtesy of Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli

Late Mexican painter Diego Rivera is best known for his work advancing Mexican muralism, one of the most politically charged art movements of the 20th century. But he was also an avid collector of pre-Columbian art, urged by a need to protect his ancestors creative output. The Anahuacalli Museum, whose name means “house surrounded by water,” is located in the southern edge of Mexico City. It houses Rivera’s expansive collection, honoring both the artist’s vision and Mexico’s cultural legacy.

The main building of the Anahuacalli Museum was also designed by Rivera, serving as further proof of the many facets of his artistry. Made of volcanic stone, its unique structure mixes Teotihuacan and Mayan building techniques with Rivera’s distinctive vision. Even the building’s ceiling panels are works of art themselves, showcasing Rivera’s experiments, which blended art with architecture.

Brought to life in collaboration with his daughter, architect Ruth Rivera, and fellow artist and renaissance man Juan O’Gorman, the Anahuacalli Museum opened its doors on September 18, 1964. Across its 23 galleries, visitors can take in the 2,500 pieces from a collection of 60,000 artifacts.

Rather than simply presenting this assortment like an archaeology exhibit, the museum aims to create an artistic experience, reminding the public about the merit of the works beyond their historical context. “I am returning to the people whatever I was able to salvage from their ancestors’ artistic legacy,” Rivera has said about his collection.

In addition to his personal collection, the museum holds some of Rivera’s own sketches, allowing visitors to take a peek inside the artist’s creative process and vision on a scale that’s almost opposite to that of his towering murals. The museum also welcomes temporary contemporary art exhibits, establishing a creative dialogue between the past and the present.

If you’re ever in Mexico City, the museum is located at Museo 150, San Pablo Tepetlapa, Coyoacán, and opens from Tuesday through Sunday, except for holidays. To learn more and plan your visit, check out Anahuacalli Museum’s website.

The Anahuacalli Museum, in Mexico City, houses Diego Rivera’s expansive collection of pre-Columbian artifacts, honoring both his artistic vision and Mexico’s cultural legacy.

Photo: Courtesy of Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli

Photo: Courtesy of Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli. © D. R. Bank of Mexico, trustee in the Trust related to the Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Museums

Photo: Courtesy of Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli

Photo: Courtesy of Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli

Photo: Courtesy of Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli. © D. R. Bank of Mexico, trustee in the Trust related to the Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Museums

Photo: Courtesy of Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli. © D. R. Bank of Mexico, trustee in the Trust related to the Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Museums

Photo: Courtesy of Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli

Photo: Courtesy of Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli. © D. R. Bank of Mexico, trustee in the Trust related to the Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Museums

Photo: Courtesy of Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli

Photo: Courtesy of Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli

Photo: Courtesy of Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli

Photo: Courtesy of Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli

Photo: Courtesy of Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli

Photo: Courtesy of Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli

Museo Anahuacalli: Website | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli.

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Rendering of the exterior front courtyard of the renovated National Geographic Society headquarters and Museum of Exploration.

After nearly four years of anticipation, the National Geographic Society will finally unveil its Museum of Exploration and remodeled global headquarters on June 26, 2026. Based in Washington, D.C., the site will comprise more than 100,000 square feet of new public space, all while taking guests on a sprawling adventure through the natural world—and, of course, all the wonders it holds.

The Museum of Exploration (MOE) will be nestled on the 130-year-old National Geographic campus, which is also undergoing revitalization thanks to dedicated fundraising, donor contributions, and a massive gift from Rolex originally made in 2023. On its exterior, MOE boasts a swooping architectural silhouette, greeting visitors with a grand entrance and outdoor pavilion with ample seating and greenery. Completing the entryway is the organization’s iconic rectangle logo, cleverly framing the museum and encouraging visitors to snap pictures within its yellow borders. Stepping inside reveals equally fluid forms, paired with wooden details and other organic elements that complement National Geographic’s environmentalist mission.

But what really distinguishes MOE is its treasure trove of galleries and exhibitions. For the first time, National Geographic will showcase more than a century’s worth of archival materials, offering an unprecedented glimpse into the organization’s history, its various global expeditions, and how its visual storytelling has evolved through its photography and magazines. One room, for instance, gathers several maps designed by National Geographic’s artists and cartographers, while another investigates the organization’s filmmaking process with behind-the-scenes perspectives. Interactive elements expand the exhibition’s scope, allowing guests to engage with a digital research station that harbors over 300 photos, film clips, artifacts, and sound recordings.

Also featured is the Rolex Explorers Landing, where visitors can meet a diverse range of National Geographic Explorers. The gallery is organized into four thematic sections, including “Spark,” “Trek,” “Purpose,” and “Impact,” and highlights the people, stories, and artifacts at the heart of the organization’s renowned Explorers program. Elsewhere, In Focus: Photographs of National Geographic provides a meticulously curated collection of National Geographic’s most influential images, ranging from George Shiras’ first photo of wildlife taken at night to Ami Vitale’s emotive photo of the last male northern white rhinoceros. Similarly, MOE will also debut with the temporary exhibition Photo Ark: Animals of Earth, encompassing wildlife portraits taken by Joel Sartore.

“The Museum of Exploration is where our legacy of storytelling meets the experiential technology of today, inviting everyone to step into the worlds of National Geographic Explorers,” Jill Tiefenthaler, CEO of the National Geographic Society, said of MOE. “Every inch is designed to immerse visitors in Explorers’ journeys, the tools that move exploration forward, and the curiosity that drives our mission to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world.​​​​‌‍​‍​‍‌‍‌​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍‌​‌‍​‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌​‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍​‍​‍​​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‍‍​‍​‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‌‌​​‍‌‌‍​‌‍‌‌​​‍‍‌‍‍‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‍‌‍​‌‌‍​‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌​‍‌‍​‌‌​​‌‍‍​‌‍‍‌‌‍​​‍‍‌‍‌​‍‌‍‌​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‍​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌​​​‌‍​‌​‌​​​​​​‍​‌‌‍​‌‌‍‌‍​‍‌​​‌​​‌‌‍​‌‍‌‍​‍‌​‌​‌‍​‌​‌​​​‍​‍‌​‍‌​​‌‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌​‍‌​‌‌​‌‍‌‍‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍​‌‌‍​‍​​‍‌‍‌​​‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‍​‌‌​‍‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍​‌‍​‌‍‌‌​‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‌​‌​‌‍​‌‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​​‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​​​​​‌‍‌‍​‌​​‌​​​‌‍‌‍​‌‌‍​​​‌​​​​​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‍‍‌​‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‍‌‍​​‌‌‍‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​​‌​‍‌‌​​‍‌​‌‍​‍‌‌​​‍‌​‌‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‌‌​​‍‌‌‍​‌‍‌‌​​‍‍‌‍‍‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‍‌‍​‌‌‍​‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌​‍‌‍​‌‌​​‌‍‍​‌‍‍‌‌‍​​‍‍‌‍‌​‍‌‍‌​‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌​​​‌‍​‌​‌​​​​​​‍​‌‌‍​‌‌‍‌‍​‍‌​​‌​​‌‌‍​‌‍‌‍​‍‌​‌​‌‍​‌​‌​​​‍​‍‌​‍‌​​‌‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌​‍‌​‌‌​‌‍‌‍‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍​‌‌‍​‍​​‍‌‍‌​​‍‌‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‍​‌‌​‍‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍​‌‍​‌‍‌‌​‍‌‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‌​‌​‌‍​‌‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​​‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​​​​​‌‍‌‍​‌​​‌​​​‌‍‌‍​‌‌‍​​​‌​​​​​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‍‍‌​‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​‍‌‍‌​​‌‍‌‌‌​‍‌​‌​​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‍​‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​​‍​‍‌‌”

To ensure maximum accessibility, exhibition signage throughout the museum will be available in English and Spanish, with Braille messaging in both languages available at key wayfinding points. Captioning, visual descriptions, and ASL are also featured in media. General admission for MOE starts at $29.99 for adults, though National Geographic is partnering with Museums for All to offer discounted admission to visitors who qualify.

To learn more and plan your own visit, check out the Museum of Exploration website and stay updated via the MOE Instagram.

On June 26, 2026, the National Geographic Society will open the Museum of Exploration in Washington, D.C.

Rendering of the exterior front courtyard of the renovated National Geographic Society headquarters and Museum of Exploration.

Rendering of the museum’s Grosvenor Auditorium.

Rendering of the museum’s outdoor pavilion.

Rendering of the museum’s Magazine Gallery.

Rendering of the museum’s archives section.

The museum, which will be nestled on the organization’s 130-year-old campus, will offer visitors an unprecedented glimpse into National Geographic’s history, its photographic archives, its Explorers program, and more.

Rendering of the exterior front courtyard of the renovated National Geographic Society headquarters and Museum of Exploration.

Rendering of the interior of the museum’s pavilion.

Rendering of the museum’s Learning Launchpad section.

Rendering of the museum’s Photo Gallery.

Rendering of the museum’s archives section.

Rendering of the museum’s terrace.

Rendering of the entrance to the museum’s Learning Launchpad section, powered by Cengage.

Rendering of the museum’s nighttime courtyard experience.

National Geographic Museum of Exploration: Website | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by National Geographic.

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“The Thinker” by Auguste Rodin at Legion of Honor (Photo: Yair-haklai via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

Visitors to the Legion of Honor museum in San Francisco are welcomed by a monumental, 6-foot-tall bronze cast of The Thinker, one of French artist Auguste Rodin’s most iconic works. Positioned in the museum’s Court of Honor, the sculpture is a striking focal point within an institution founded to showcase a celebrated collection of Rodin’s art.

The original Thinker was sculpted by Rodin around 1880-1881. The brooding figure depicts the Italian poet Dante who is considered one of the greatest writers of the Middle Ages. Originally, the sculpture was meant to sit at the center of the tympanum of The Gates of Hell, an ambitious doorway for a planned Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris that was never completed.

Nonetheless, The Thinker became a work in its own right, and by 1889, it was exhibited in Paris at the Exposition Monet-Rodin at the Galerie Georges Petit. A 27-inch bronze cast from 1896, now housed at the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire, reflects the sculpture’s original size. Other casts sit at the National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo, Kunsthalle Bielefeld in Germany, Columbia University in New York, Pushkin Museum in Moscow, and other notable establishments around the world.

There are thought to be around 28 to 30 official bronze casts of The Thinker, most of them produced by expert foundries working under Rodin’s supervision. One of the most important was the Alexis Rudier Foundry, which was responsible for casting many versions during Rodin’s lifetime, including the one placed in the courtyard of Legion of Honor.

San Francisco socialite and philanthropist Alma de Bretteville Spreckels acquired the sculpture with the help of her friend Loie Fuller in 1924. Fuller was a pioneering American dancer who moved in avant-garde circles in Paris and helped connect collectors with artists like Rodin.

A passionate supporter of the arts, Spreckels went on to build an impressive collection of Rodin’s work. The Thinker was one of the earliest pieces she purchased and became part of a group of more than 70 sculptures that she would later donate to the Legion of Honor, helping shape it into one of the most important Rodin collections outside of France.

Find out more about the incredible Rodin collection at Legion of Honor on the museum’s website. Legion of Honor is also home to an impressive collection of historic and contemporary art from around the world.

Visitors to the Legion of Honor museum in San Francisco are welcomed by a monumental, 6-foot-tall bronze cast of The Thinker, one of French artist Auguste Rodin’s most iconic works.

Positioned in the museum’s Court of Honor, the sculpture is a striking focal point within an institution founded to showcase a celebrated collection of 70 Rodin works.

The brooding figure depicts the Italian poet Dante who is considered one of the greatest writers of the Middle Ages.

Legion of Honor is also home to an impressive collection of historic and contemporary art from around the world.

Here’s what some of the museum’s visitors thought of The Thinker.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Legion of Honor Museum (@legionofhonor)

Legion of Honor: Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Legion of Honor.

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Installation view of the inaugural presentation in the David Geffen Galleries, April 2026, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has just celebrated the opening of its new David Geffen Galleries. On April 19, 2026, at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, visitors were welcomed into the space, marking the end of the 20-year story of development, construction, and fundraising to build the breathtaking wing. Now, it’s the beginning of the new home for the institution’s permanent collection.

Renowned architect Peter Zumthor designed the building, opting for an organic, sculptural volume that includes a 900-foot-long horizontal, glass-and-concrete structure curving along Hancock Park and across from the city’s famed Wilshire Boulevard. The elevated main floor offers a reprieve from Los Angeles’ notorious traffic, lifting almost 30 feet above street level. Exhibition spaces range from terrace galleries dotting the perimeter to interiors with floor-to-ceiling glass panels, in addition to areas outfitted with custom curtains that shield light-sensitive artworks from the sun.

Within the space is a truly open concept, with no prescribed way to navigate it. This is by design, as is its curatorial presentation. All artworks in the new gallery are located on the same level, intended to place the objects on equal footing and demonstrate that no precedence is given to any culture, tradition, or era. Visitors are instead encouraged to find their own path, based on their whims and curiosity, and discover endless new ways to view LACMA’s collection of 155,000 objects spanning 6,000 years.

The David Geffen Galleries has an inaugural exhibition on view and reflects the collaborative work of 45 curators to fill the 110,000-square-foot space. They chose to organize the artwork by way of water, using the Pacific, Indian, Atlantic Oceans, and the Mediterranean Sea to connect cultures and tell the stories that span these great bodies. In turn, they marry objects across time and space. Beyond mining its permanent collection are four new commissioned artworks specific to the galleries, including Do Ho Suh’s Jagyeon Hall, Gyeongbok Palace, which features Suh’s signature ghost-like aesthetic recreating a to-scale section of the Joseon royal palace in Seoul.

The new galleries are in LACMA member previews until May 3. To learn more about visiting the museum and becoming a member, head to its LACMA’s website.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has just had a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new David Geffen Galleries. Visitors were welcomed into the space on April 19, 2026.

Installation view of the inaugural presentation in the David Geffen Galleries, April 2026, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Renowned architect Peter Zumthor designed the building, opting for an organic, sculptural volume that includes a 900-foot-long horizontal, glass-and-concrete structure.

Exterior view northeast from Wilshire Boulevard with Chris Burden’s Urban Light (2008) in foreground, David Geffen Galleries at LACMA, art © Chris Burden/licensed by The Chris Burden Estate and Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, photo © Iwan Baan

Exhibition spaces range from terrace galleries dotting the perimeter to interiors with floor-to-ceiling glass panels.

Installation view of the inaugural presentation in the David Geffen Galleries, April 2026, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Installation view of the inaugural presentation in the David Geffen Galleries, April 2026, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Installation view of the inaugural presentation in the David Geffen Galleries, April 2026, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Within the space is a truly open concept, with no prescribed way to navigate it. This is by design, as is its curatorial presentation.

Installation view of the inaugural presentation in the David Geffen Galleries, April 2026, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Installation view of the inaugural presentation in the David Geffen Galleries, April 2026, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Installation view of the inaugural presentation in the David Geffen Galleries, April 2026, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Installation view of the inaugural presentation in the David Geffen Galleries, April 2026, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

All artworks in the new gallery are located on the same level, intended to place the objects on equal footing and demonstrate that no precedence is given to any culture, tradition, or era.

Installation view of the inaugural presentation in the David Geffen Galleries, April 2026, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Installation view of the inaugural presentation in the David Geffen Galleries, April 2026, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Installation view of the inaugural presentation in the David Geffen Galleries, April 2026, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Visitors are encouraged to find their own path, based on their whims and curiosity, and discover endless new ways to view LACMA’s collection of 155,000 objects spanning 6,000 years.

Installation view of the inaugural presentation in the David Geffen Galleries, April 2026, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Installation view of the inaugural presentation in the David Geffen Galleries, April 2026, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Installation view of the inaugural presentation in the David Geffen Galleries, April 2026, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

The David Geffen Galleries has an inaugural exhibition on view and reflects the collaborative work of 45 curators to fill the 110,000-square-foot space.

Installation view of the inaugural presentation in the David Geffen Galleries, April 2026, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

They chose to organize the artwork by way of water, using the Pacific, Indian, Atlantic Oceans, and the Mediterranean Sea to connect cultures and tell the stories that span these great bodies.

Installation view of the inaugural presentation in the David Geffen Galleries, April 2026, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Installation view of the inaugural presentation in the David Geffen Galleries, April 2026, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Installation view of the inaugural presentation in the David Geffen Galleries, April 2026, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Exterior view southeast toward Wilshire Boulevard with Tony Smith’s Smoke (1967) in foreground, David Geffen Galleries at LACMA, art © Tony Smith Estate/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, photo © Iwan Baan

LACMA:  Website | Instagram | Facebook

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by LACMA.

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Photo: dizzizzmee@gmail.com/Depositphotos

Between K-pop music and K-drama shows, Korean culture seems to have reached every corner of the world. But there’s so much more to this country’s heritage than its pop-culture exports. From intricate ancient art to cute modern design, Korea is filled with centuries’ worth of rich arts and culture. No other place captures the many facets that make up Korea’s cultural history like the National Museum of Korea in Seoul. It’s this rigor, in tandem with the desire shared by locals and visitors to learn more, that have made it the third most-visited museum in the world.

Established in 1945, the National Museum of Korea safeguards and spotlights the archaeology, history, and art of the Asian nation. Its current location in the Yongsan Family Park opened in 2005, and its sweeping building was the result of a collaboration between architect Robert Siegel and Korean firms Samoo Architects & Engineers and Kunwon International Architects, which together aimed to build a modern reinterpretation of traditional Korean architecture.

Its place in the world ranking was announced in The Art Newspaper’s list of the top 100 museums and art galleries by visitor numbers. With 6,507,483 guests in 2025, the National Museum of Korea came in third, only behind the Louvre Museum in France and the Vatican Museums in Vatican City. Impressively, it also ranked higher than two world-famous institutions, the British Museum, which came in fourth place, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which was fifth.

“The National Museum of Korea’s main venue in Seoul boomed by more than 70%, from 3.8 million in 2024 to 6.5 million in 2025,” the report explains. “That is one of the largest rises in absolute numbers we have ever seen…It seems the worldwide fervor for Korean culture is translating into museum visits from both locals and foreigners.”

This success goes way beyond mere association, but the museum’s active efforts to join the conversation are noted. They have collaborated with K-pop giants like BTS and BLACKPINK. Their gift shop MU:DS also saw an increase in visitors looking for merch that evoked traditional elements present in the hit animated film KPop Demon Hunters, such as gat (the hat donned by the Saja Boys) mugs, pens, and keychains, as well as magpie and tiger accessories.

Besides that, the interest from both the institution and the public in the art is still alive and well. An example of this is the popularity of a special exhibition devoted to 16th-century admiral Yi Sun-sin, which set a record for cultural heritage-themed exhibitions, drawing in over 400,000 visitors.

The museum offers free admission to its permanent exhibitions, and includes English guided tours for foreign visitors. To plan your visit and learn more, visit the National Museum of Korea website.

The National Museum of Korea in Seoul has made it to the Top 3 of most visited museums in the world.

Photo: aaron90311/Depositphotos

With 6,507,483 visitors in 2025, it was only behind the Louvre Museum in France and the Vatican Museums in Vatican City.

Photo: NGCHIYUI/Depositphotos

“It seems the worldwide fervor for Korean culture is translating into museum visits from both locals and foreigners.”

Photo: Ian Muttoo via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Eugene Kim, editor-in-chief of My Modern Met, visited the museum earlier this year.

 

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Sources: National Museum of Korea Ranks Third Globally in Visitor Numbers; The world’s 100 most visited art museums in 2025

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At Gardens by the Bay, the future already feels surreal. The award-winning gardenscape in Singapore boasts towering Supertrees that glow against the night sky, while mist drifts through the Cloud Forest and vibrant blooms greet visitors at every turn. Now, the iconic destination is preparing for one of its boldest reinventions yet: a sweeping expansion known as Wetlands by the Bay that blends immersive art, ecology, and community spaces into a single experience.

At the center of this new chapter is a flagship museum by teamLab. Known for boundary-pushing digital installations, the collective continues to rethink how audiences engage with art. However, this will not be a traditional museum. Instead of simply walking through galleries, visitors will move through a fluid environment where art unfolds across water and vegetation in open space. The 12,000-square-meter (almost 130,000-square-foot) venue will sit within a larger wetlands landscape, and guests will explore it by kayak. As they drift along a controlled waterway, projections will shimmer across mangroves and reflect off the surface below. Because the installations respond to movement, no two visits will feel the same.

Wetlands by the Bay will reshape the surrounding landscapes. The existing Kingfisher Wetlands will nearly triple in size, becoming a 5-hectare (12.4-acre) habitat filled with mangroves and tens of thousands of plans. In addition, elevated boardwalks will guide visitors through the space while protecting the environment. Along the way, guests can pause at quiet viewpoints, where they may spot birds, aquatic life, and subtle ecosystem changes. Altogether, the design reflects a growing focus on biodiversity and positions the gardens as a model for sustainable cities.

Beyond the natural elements, the expansion will also introduce new spaces for gathering. For instance, a canopy-level boardwalk will stretch above the wetlands, offering wide views of greenery and water below. At the same time, an open lawn will host events and public programs. Along the waterfront, new dining spots will overlook the mangroves and Marina Reservoir, so even a simple meal becomes immersive. To improve accessibility, a new bridge will connect different parts of the gardens and encourage visitors to explore more freely. The project is set to open progressively from late 2028, with different elements debuting in phases.

Since opening in 2012, Gardens by the Bay has redefined the idea of a public garden by merging horticulture, architecture, and technology. As a result, the space feels both futuristic and grounded in nature. With this expansion, the gardens push that vision even further by inviting visitors to participate rather than simply observe.

Soon, guests will glide through curated landscapes instead of walking past them. Ultimately, moving through shifting light as greenery surrounds them and water quietly flows nearby, allowing the boundary between art and nature to dissolve.

Gardens by the Bay announced a major expansion that will introduce a new wetland landscape and immersive experiences.

A flagship museum by teamLab will let visitors explore digital art by moving through water-filled environments.

The project will transform the gardens into a more connected, eco-focused destination blending art, nature, and community spaces.

Gardens by the Bay: Website | Instagram 

My Modern Met granted permissions to feature photos by Garden by the Bay.

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Metropolitan Museum of Art (Photo: ubeyonroad via Unsplash)

The latest rankings of the world’s most visited museums in 2025 show a clear shift in global cultural influence. While the Louvre Museum in Paris remains firmly in the top spot, institutions across Asia are rapidly rising, new museums are drawing massive crowds, and audience expectations are reshaping what a museum visit looks like today.

In an annual visitor-numbers survey compiled by The Art Newspaper, the figures show that the Louvre continues to lead with around 9 million visitors, reinforcing its status as a cultural landmark. Coming in second place with 6.9 million visitors is the Vatican Museums in Vatican City. But beyond these familiar frontrunners, the data reveals an evolving museum landscape.

The Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City, for instance, had 5 million visitors in 2025—a 36% increase over its 2024 patronage. A larger trend that can be gleaned from this data is that museums across Asia are climbing the rankings, reshaping the geography of global culture. Leading this shift is the National Museum of Korea in Seoul, which is third overall with 6.5 million visitors in 2025. This is a more than 70% increase from 2024, when the museum had about 3.8 million visitors. The Art Newspaper points out that other branches of the National Museum throughout Korea have also experienced a significant increase in attendance. They theorize that worldwide interest in Korean culture may be a contributing factor.

Another Asian museum within the top 10 and doing better than the prior year is the Shanghai Museum East. It debuted in 2024 with 4.2 million visitors but has gained more foot traffic in 2025 with about 4.5 million visitors. Other major state-funded institutions also continue to expand their reach through large-scale exhibitions and free admission policies. Japan is seeing similar momentum. The Tokyo National Museum (2.58 million visitors) and new contemporary spaces like teamLab Planets TOKYO (2.52 million visitors) are benefiting from both domestic tourism and international interest.

Even as Asia rises, major Western institutions remain deeply influential. The British Museum (6.4 million visitors) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (5.9 million visitors) continue to rank among the most visited globally, drawing millions with their encyclopedic collections and blockbuster exhibitions.

The 2025 rankings point to a broader expansion of the global museum landscape. Institutions are no longer defined solely by their collections, but by how effectively they engage increasingly diverse and mobile audiences. As museums continue to evolve the distinction between destination, experience, and cultural institution, it becomes less fixed. The world’s most visited museums are not just preserving history—they are actively shaping how it is encountered.

You can see the full list of the world’s 100 most visited museums compiled on Airtable.

A list of the world’s 100 most visited museums in 2025 was unveiled and the Louvre came in first with around 9 million visitors.

Louvre Museum (Photo: Courtney Cook via Unsplash)

The Vatican Museums came in second, welcoming 6.9 million visitors.

Crowd of tourists walking through the Vatican Museums (Photo: IgorVetushko/Depositphotos)

The National Museum of Korea in Seoul came in third with 6.5 million visitors, up by more than 70% from the previous year.

National Museum of Korea (Photo: thommccomb@gmail.com/Depositphotos)

The British Museum was close behind with 6.4 million visitors.

The British Museum (Photo: Rabih Ramadan via Unsplash)

And the Metropolitan Museum of Art rounded out the top 5 with about 5.9 million visitors.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Photo: bloodua/Depositphotos)

Sources: Exclusive | The world's 100 most visited art museums in 2025: new venues a big hit with visitors

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Rendering of the Brooklyn Museum’s new Arts of Africa Galleries. (Photo: Peterson Rich Office)

Since it began collecting African art in the early 20th century, the Brooklyn Museum has accumulated more than 4,500 pieces from across the continent. All told, the collection stands as one of the largest and most comprehensive in the United States, but that fact isn’t necessarily apparent to visitors. The museum is now looking to change that through an ambitious $13 million renovation.

This spring, construction will officially begin on a new 6,400-square-foot gallery, offering a new home for the museum’s renowned Arts of Africa collection. The space, whose design is spearheaded by the Brooklyn-based architecture firm Peterson Rich Office (PRO), will showcase about 300 works from the collection and span some 2,500 years of history. Complete with an airy atmosphere and high ceilings, this permanent installation will direct greater attention toward lighting, wall placement, and casework to fully celebrate the collection’s breadth and beauty. Previous displays, by contrast, were “on the ground floor in these low-ceilinged spaces,” per the museum’s director, Anne Pasternak. “It was not a dignified place,” she adds.

What truly distinguishes the new gallery, though, is its decolonial ethos. Rather than grouping objects based on present-day borders—many of which were established during European colonization during the 19th and 20th centuries—the space unfolds geographically. Regions of focus include the Nile and Niger Rivers, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, the Loango Coast, and the Sahara desert.

“We wanted to highlight transcultural interactions—what happens when different communities and cultural entities were talking to each other,” Annissa Malvoisin, an associate curator at the Brooklyn Museum, recently told The New York Times. Aside from being a curator, Malvoisin is also a scholar of ancient African art with a specialization in Egyptian and Nubian art.

By effectively forgoing these colonial models, then, the museum seeks to visualize not just the artistic networks within Africa, but also the continent’s relationship with Asia, Europe, and the Americas across time. Historical and contemporary art exemplify these global exchanges, with featured works hailing from the African diaspora and from the places to which enslaved people were taken. Beyond this, Islamic and Christian visual traditions will be explored as well, resulting in a nuanced portrait of African artistic production.

“The diaspora is Africa’s story,” says Ernestine White-Mifetu, the curator of the Brooklyn Museum’s Arts of Africa department. “We can’t just focus on the African part and negate that important journey that millions of people took.”

Also challenged is the historical separation between North Africa and the rest of the African continent. Ancient Egyptian art, for example, will be more clearly united with the museum’s larger collection, thanks in large part to the new gallery’s location. Nestled beside the ancient Egypt section on the third floor, visitors can seamlessly travel between the two galleries, revitalizing rather than segregating the connections throughout the continent.

“It’s always bewildering to me that those collections are so separate,” Pasternak says. “I think especially in a place like Brooklyn, that framing reads as racist.”

White-Mifetu and Malvoisin echoed the sentiment in Hyperallergic: “The museum is already doing this work throughout the building, so this connection feels natural both contextually and realistically.”

Notably, the new gallery will repurpose underutilized storage space, providing additional avenues through which to engage with art history. “I’m a big believer in less storage, more galleries,” Pasternak concludes. “People deserve to see masterpieces, and they deserve to see their cultures represented with dignity.”

To stay updated about the new Arts of Africa gallery, visit the Brooklyn Museum website.

This spring, the Brooklyn Museum will break ground on a $13 million renovation to add a new 6,400-square-foot gallery for its renowned African art collection.

Rendering of the Brooklyn Museum’s new Arts of Africa Galleries. (Photo: Peterson Rich Office)

Rendering of the Brooklyn Museum’s new Arts of Africa Galleries. (Photo: Peterson Rich Office)

The gallery will offer a permanent home for the museum’s more than 4,500-piece collection, all while visualizing the transcultural connections across the African continent and beyond.

Chokwe artist, “Tesa Ya Ma Kanya” (Snuff Container). Northeast Angola or Bandundu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 19th century. Wood, iron, and fiber. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Gora Mbengue, “Al-Buraq,” 1975. Glass and paint. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum © Estate of Gora Mbengue)

Yorùbá artist, “Paka Egúngún“ (Masquerade Dance Costume). Lekewọgbẹ compound, Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́, Ọ̀yọ́ State, Nigeria, ca. 1920–48. Cotton, wool, wood, silk, synthetic textiles, indigo, and aluminum. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Brooklyn Museum: Website | Instagram

Source: The Brooklyn Museum Embarks on Major Building Project to Create Permanent Galleries for Its Arts of Africa Collection

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by the Brooklyn Museum.

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