Museum expansion stories

Museum expansion is the process of adding more space to an existing museum. This could be on the same site, such as the project to refurbish and open up the first floor at the Frick Collection in New York, or it could also mean adding a new space in another location, or even another country. For example, London's V&A and its expansion to a new site in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the V&A East. There are many reasons why a museum might embark on an expansion project. In the case of the V&A, the issue was that its entire reserve collection, housed in Blyth House in West London, needed to be moved to a new location. The museum saw this as an opportunity to create a unique new offer. Plans for V&A East include a new five-storey museum, alongside a new collection and research centre. Museums can undertake expansion projects to gain more space, make their venues more accessible to visitors and enhance the experience, as well as updating their facilities and introducing more sustainable design. Other big brands have expanded overseas, for instance, the Louvre opened Louvre Abu Dhabi in 2017. Elsewhere, the National Gallery has made moved to expand its brand in Asia, with a take-over at Shanghai metro station, featuring some of the world’s most well-known paintings, and an interactive pop-up store in Guangzhou's Grandview mall. Some newer museums, like the Museum of Illusions, begin as one space before expanding to a chain of venues across the world.