By the middle of 2024, many new museums have opened around the world, or news of completed reconstructions. Whether it is a museum or an art gallery, the themes of the collections range from ancient civilizations, national history, contemporary art, to everyday culture, and each museum has its own unique cultural narrative, presenting exciting and rich exhibition content.
In addition to the previously introduced Ando Tadao’s tenth “Naoshima New Art Museum” scheduled to open in 2025, what are some other museums not to be missed? We have now gathered a list of three “world’s best” museums for everyone. What are the highlights or attractions? Let’s take a look together!
1. Hiroshima, Japan Simose Art Museum has been selected as the “World’s Most Beautiful Museum” in 2024!
According to the “Versailles Award,” on June 13, 2024, the list of “The World’s Most Beautiful Museums” was announced, with a total of 7 art facilities selected globally, and Hiroshima’s “Shimoze Art Museum” is among them!
A unique group of dreamy cube-shaped buildings floating on the sea, reflecting the beautiful scenery of the Seto Inland Sea, is truly distinctive. This “world’s most beautiful art museum” is the Shimose Art Museum designed by the Japanese architectural master Shigeru Ban, located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. Since its opening last year, it has attracted many architecture and art enthusiasts to visit.
The museum space is divided into one main exhibition room and eight floating art galleries on the water, designed with a mirrored exterior that reflects the surrounding clear scenery, while inside the hall is supported by two sturdy elliptical structures.
“The Floating Art Gallery” is arranged in various colors on the surface of the pool, designed with inspiration from the islands of the Seto Inland Sea, combined with Hiroshima’s excellent shipbuilding technology. Like a row of container galleries, it can float on water and move, changing layouts according to different art exhibition needs, creating a diverse spatial appearance.
The museum also houses many precious art pieces such as Japanese Hina dolls, new art glass crafts, and paintings by modern artists such as Matisse, Chagall, and Kiyoshi Yamashita, as well as an art museum shop and cafe.
Shimo-se Art Museum
Address: 2-10-50 Harumi, Otake City, Hiroshima Prefecture
Hours: 9:30 – 17:00 (Closed on Mondays and during the New Year)
(Official Website)
Further reading:
- Making Japan’s “Naoshima” known as “Ando’s Island”! Tadao Ando’s tenth “Naoshima New Art Museum” opens in 2025
- Japanese artist Shibuya Sho’s “front page work” takes you to feel the beauty of 50 gradients of dawn!
- Memories of family members! FENDI’s first perfume series is here, what stories are behind the seven perfumes?
2. Egypt The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM)
20 years in the making will become the “world’s largest museum”!
As a land of archaeology, Egypt’s pyramids, deserts, and mysterious ancient civilization are all sought-after places for exploration. However, the world’s largest museum, the Grand Egyptian Museum, is also set to open in the middle of this year.
The Grand Egyptian Museum is located between the Giza pyramids and Cairo, with a 50-meter height difference guiding the Nile River through the desert towards the Mediterranean, shaping Egypt’s landscape for three thousand years, becoming an important and massive repository of historical artifacts. The Grand Egyptian Museum aims to be a “cultural complex of Egyptology,” and once completed, it will surpass the Louvre as the world’s largest museum.
Due to the fact that the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, which has been around for a hundred years, is not only insufficiently used, but the number of pilgrims has also accelerated its wear and tear, so as early as 2002, it was decided to start the “Grand Egyptian Museum” project, but it was delayed due to problems such as the financial crisis, the Arab Spring, and the epidemic.
The new museum covers an area of nearly 500,000 square meters, with over 100,000 cultural relics in its collection. Its scale and number of collections are expected to become the largest archaeological museum complex in the world. From the ancient Egyptian civilization of thousands of years to the ancient Greek and Roman periods, such as the most famous King Tutankhamun’s unseen funerary goods and golden mask, as well as the more than 4,000-year-old funerary ancient Egyptian ship “Khufu Ship / Khufu Sun Ship,” are all highly anticipated!
In addition to exhibition spaces, there are also children’s museums, restoration centers, related educational facilities, and extensive gardens. The museum’s exterior is composed of multiple triangles, echoing the visual effect of nearby pyramids, radiating out to three pyramids, connecting and presenting the splendor and grandeur of the Egyptian royal family from ancient times to the present, creating a unique visual in the desert, adding to the charm of Egypt.
The design and collection are both heavyweight and highly iconic, and have been selected for the 2024 “World’s Most Beautiful Museums” list. It is definitely not to be missed!
Grand Egyptian Museum
Address: Grand Egyptian Museum, Al Giza Desert, Giza 3513204
Opening Hours: Expected to open in mid-2024
3. Seoul, South Korea Jamsu Bridge on the Han River
Will nearly 800 meters become the “world’s longest outdoor art gallery”?
Not all art museums are indoors? The concept of “outdoor/open-air museums” is not a recent phenomenon, in fact, it has been used to showcase architectural works as early as the 19th century. Today, many historical sites have become cultural heritage sites, attracting many art and architecture enthusiasts.
And recently, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that the landmark built in 1976 – Jamsu Bridge will be rebuilt into a bold landmark, designed by the Dutch architectural firm Arch Mist, to create a new art exhibition space, which will become the “world’s longest outdoor art gallery”!
Looking back at this bridge, not only is it a local scenic spot, but in 2023, it was also selected by @LouisVuitton for hosting a fashion show. 46 models showcased glamorous runway looks under blue lighting, with the director of “Squid Game” serving as a creative consultant directing the stage performance, creating a dazzling visual effect with vibrant light design on the skywalk bridge.
After the transformation, this space can host various activities and fashion shows, even serving as a multi-purpose public area for events like outdoor movie nights or weddings. In the design team’s plans, there will be multiple balconies, connecting ramps, and an elevated deck to create a “panoramic platform” pathway; the design’s main color scheme for the skywalk will be fluorescent pink, providing a striking visual effect that seems to extend a warm invitation to everyone, reflecting the vitality of art and the city.
In design, a new urban environment has been created, weaving together structures, natural landscapes, and art exhibitions, bringing many new possibilities to activities. The construction of this outdoor art gallery will begin next year and is expected to be completed in 2026. It is believed that after the renovation, the Diving Bridge will become a new cultural landmark in Seoul, bringing a different artistic experience to the public!
Jamsu Bridge Outdoor Art Museum
Completion Date: Expected 2026
On the 2024 “World’s Most Beautiful Museums” list of the “Versailles Awards,” there are also the A4 Art Museum in China, the Smritivan Earthquake Museum in India, the Simose Art Museum in Japan, Paleis Het Loo in the Netherlands, the Oman Across Ages Museum in Oman, and the Polish History Museum in Poland, each with its own unique charm, all worth visiting to experience their beauty!
Source @grandegyptianmuseum、@simose_artmuseum、Arch Mist
