You can start your journey to new cultural hotspots today — new centers have already opened their doors in Prague and Kaliningrad.

Almaty Museum of Arts, Almaty

The first private museum of contemporary art in Central Asia is set to open this summer. A new building is being constructed in the city center to house the collection of local collector and philanthropist Nurlan Smagulov. It will feature all the hallmarks of such an institution — spacious galleries and atriums, lecture halls and creative studios, a library and a restaurant, as well as its own art park. The project’s architect is the British firm Chapman Taylor, working in collaboration with the consulting company Lord Cultural Resources. Their design also includes dedicated spaces within the building for monumental installations — such as works by Yayoi Kusama, Richard Serra, and Bill Viola. Smagulov’s collection includes over 700 works by artists from Kazakhstan and Asia, as well as international creators. The opening is set to feature an exhibition from the museum’s collection, along with a retrospective of Almagul Menlibayeva titled I Understand Everything.

New Museum, New York

One of the most prominent American museums specializing in contemporary art opened its doors in 2007. The striking contemporary building — composed of six asymmetrical, stacked rectangular volumes — was designed by the legendary architectural firm SANAA. However, a severe lack of space was felt almost immediately. The institution’s ambitious plans included active collaborations with artists (“We’re making history here and now!”), but there was practically no room left for artist residencies. In 2022, a neighboring plot of land was acquired, kicking off a major renovation project led by star architects Rem Koolhaas and Shohei Shigematsu and their firm, OMA.

In November, the renovated museum will reopen with a major exhibition titled New Humans: Memories of the Future, exploring how artists have reflected on technological progress over the past 150 years. Among the 150 featured artists are Salvador Dalí and Pablo Picasso, Francis Bacon and Gerhard Richter, Wangechi Mutu and Philippe Parreno.

Museum of the World Ocean, Kaliningrad

In its 25th anniversary year, the renowned Kaliningrad museum will expand with a new wing — Planet Ocean. Alongside its existing facilities and exhibits, this addition will make it the largest specialized museum of its kind in the world. Above all, the new wing will house the most spectacular “exhibits” — live inhabitants of the seas and oceans. Alongside the aquarium, the multi-level sphere-shaped building will feature various interactive labs, such as “Water and Air,” “Technologies,” and “Space and Earth.”

Today, the Museum of the World Ocean is a full-fledged scientific complex, featuring a fully equipped research vessel and a submarine, along with a natural science building, and historical and ethnographic departments. Surrounding the main building will be a science park and themed playgrounds for children.

Mucha Museum, Prague

This is the second museum in Prague dedicated to one of the most celebrated Czech-born artists of the Art Nouveau era. The first museum, which opened nearly 30 years ago based on works from Ivan Lendl’s collection, also continues to operate.

The new museum is housed in the newly restored Baroque Savarin Palace, located in the heart of Prague’s emerging museum quarter, which is being developed by renowned British architect Thomas Heatherwick. The museum was organized by the artist’s foundation, established by his descendants, which holds a substantial collection of his works. The inaugural exhibition showcases Mucha’s early works from his pre-Paris period, which have rarely been seen by the public. In addition, a dedicated hall features sketches and drawings from the legendary Slav Epic, which the artist once gifted to his hometown. A new building is being constructed nearby specifically to house it.

Fondation Cartier, Paris

Over its 40-year history, the foundation has relocated three times: from a non-classical mansion in the Paris suburb of Jouy-en-Josas to a modern glass-and-concrete building by Jean Nouvel on Boulevard Raspail, where it spent the last 30 years. Today, it is set to take its place in the very heart of the French capital — in a historic palace on the Place du Palais-Royal, right next to the north wing of the great Louvre. The massive building — known for the past fifty years for its many antique shops in the arcades and Daniel Buren’s truncated striped columns in the courtyard — is currently being renovated by none other than Jean Nouvel. According to the architect, he is unifying more than 11,000 sq. m of interior space and designing movable walls so that any large-scale installation can “feel at home.” The Foundation will welcome visitors to its new home this fall.

Photo: Vostock Photo; © Crestyl/Press Office