Hong Kong Museum of Art Evolves With New $120 Million Expansion

Hong Kong will see another investment in their cultural landscape when the Hong Kong Museum of Art finishes its HK $930 million ($120 million) redevelopment in the next four years, according to the South China Morning Post.

The museum’s exhibition area will increase from 7,500 square-feet to 10,700 square-feet, creating much needed space for its growing foot traffic—annual visitors have increased by a quarter in the last five years, and will likely increase by the time the museum is completed.

Chan Shing-wai, assistant director of leisure and cultural services of heritage and museums, told the Post there was an “urgent requirement” for the renovation, and they “had a pressing need to do so for some time.”

Plans for the expansion include a higher ceiling to allow for larger, and more ambitious, exhibits—some of which have been shown at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre instead.

The museum will close on August 2, 2015 and will reopen in 2019. Past exhibitions include traditional bamboo carvings, works by contemporary Chinese painter Wu Guanzhong, and a collection of flower paintings by famous calligraphers.

The redevelopment will surely make the museum a much-needed addition to the island, known as the “Gateway to Asia.” At present, Hong Kong has the Asia Society museum and the annual Art Basel fair to boast about, as well as a lively gallery scene. However, museums have been lagging behind the trends; the development of the Hong Kong Museum of Art will arrive just in time.