Culture Calling: The Best Museum Openings Around the World in 2022

Hankering after some culture, we’re plotting and planning our 2022 city breaks around these hot-ticket museum openings, spanning Nordic treasures to Broadway greats.

Starved of your usual museum fix? Fed up of stop-start openings due to the great C-word? We're here to help, with a round-up of the most exciting museum openings for the year ahead. From a boundary-pushing Norwegian number to Egypt's much-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum (whose first stone was laid in 2002), these bastions of culture are flying the much-needed flag for art, architecture and history around the globe.

Five of the top museum openings for 2022

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House of Music, Budapest

The jewel in Hungary’s cultural crown, music has historically been its biggest artistic export, with composers such as Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály having made a particularly distinctive impact on the universal language of melody. Budapest’s House of Music gathers the country’s musical treasures and presents them in a global context. Aside from an extensive exhibition space, the project also incorporates a concert hall, education theatre and open-air stage, with the aim being to bring the city’s thriving musical community together under one roof.

Address

Olof Palme Stny 3, Budapest 1146

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Robot & AI Museum, Seoul

One for futurists, the newest addition to Seoul's impressive line-up of museums showcases all things automaton. But the most exciting part? The spaceship-like structure, designed by Turkish firm Melike Altinisik Architects, has been partially built by robots over the last few years. They've not only been 3D printing, but moulding, welding and assembling parts, too. Opening this winter, the museum will offer a deep-dive into the technology of the future: think artificial intelligence, virtual reality and holograms.

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Museum of Broadway, New York City

If jazz hands are the sort of thing that make you rejoice not recoil, this shiny new addition to New York’s already-dazzling collection of museums should definitely make your list. Dedicated entirely to Broadway and nestled in the all-singing, all-dancing heart of the city’s theatre district, the groundbreaking museum will tell the story of the Big Apple’s game-changing musicals and plays, delivered through immersive video projections and installations designed by contemporary artists.

Address

145 W 45th St, New York, NY 10036, United States

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Maison Gainsbourg, Paris

Although sometimes damned and often divisive, Serge Gainsbourg’s legacy has remained undeniably pivotal to French pop. Closed to the general public since his death in 1991, the renowned French singer’s Parisian home will now be opened as a museum dedicated to his life’s work, thanks to his daughter, the actor and singer Charlotte Gainsbourg. Expect particularly long queues for the townhouse’s famous living area, which sports an art deco bar, piano and huge collection of sculptures.

Address

14 Rue de Verneuil, 75007 Paris, France

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Hong Kong Palace Museum, Hong Kong

Rare books, traditional calligraphy and exquisite imperial treasures will be housed in the upcoming Hong Kong Palace Museum, which will be made up of nine galleries, as well as education rooms, nursery spaces and interactive experiences geared specifically towards kids. Located in the city’s West Kowloon Cultural District, the futuristic building from Rocco Design Architects ranks highly in our books for its epic skyline and Lantau Island views.

Address

WKCDA Tower, West Kowloon Cultural District, No. 8 Austin Road West, Kowloon, Hong Kong

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National Museum, Oslo

Set to be the largest museum in the Nordics, Norway’s Nasjonalmuseet has taken over a whopping 54,600sq m on Oslo’s waterfront. Housing around 100,000 artefacts from Norwegian and international artists, highlights will include Edvard Munch’s The Scream, a Van Gogh self-portrait and Norway’s most notable work of art – Winter Night in the Mountains by Harald Sohlberg. Masterminded by German architects Kleihues + Schuwerk, the building will also feature a sparkling new Light Hall, whose floor is made up of 9,000 energy-efficient LED lights, ensuring that the museum will make a dazzling mark on the city’s skyline.

Address

Universitetsgata 13, 0164 Oslo, Norway

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Grand Egyptian Museum, Giza

If good things come to those who wait, then Egypt’s Grand Egyptian Museum – pitched to be the biggest museum in the world dedicated to a single civilisation – is really going to be one to write home about. Having been 20 years in the making and rumoured to have cost a cool one billion dollars, the modern building is located in Giza, just a short drive from the pyramids, and was conceived by Irish architectural powerhouse Heneghan Peng. Come here for a strong line-up of ancient artefacts, including a 3,200-year-old statue, and thousands of objects from King Tutankhamun’s tomb.

Address

Kafr Nassar, Al Giza Desert, Giza Governorate, Egypt

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