As institutions of all sorts start to reopen after the recent coronavirus pandemic wave, Museum Lovers want to know: when will the museums reopen? This varies from country to country due to differing health and safety measures, but we can at least get an overview of some of the biggest museums around the world.
In Berlin, most museums have already reopened with special provisions for social distancing and mandatory masks. Yippee! As it happens, the tourist-magnet Neues Museum reopened today! To prepare for your visit, why not watch the museums.love video on the Nefertiti bust?
A comprehensive list of reopened Berlin museums can be found at MuseumsPortal. The major ones we are still waiting on are the Museum of Photography (June 25) and the Museum of European Cultures (June 27). The big museums I am still wondering about, however, are the Bode Museum and the historical Pergamon Museum with the Ishtar Gate – which remain forlornly dark, and have not been explicitly named in any official statement about reopening, staying closed, or any other option. The best alternative for now is definitely our video on the Ishtar Gate. 😉
One museum, the Palais Populaire, has taken the opportunity to make admission free (!) and to extend its opening hours until 9pm – hats off to you! What a visitor-friendly move from a Berlin museum!
In New York City, major museums have not only not reopened, but have not announced any firm plans to do so. The Metropolitan Museum has announced that it may reopen in mid-August at the earliest. The director of MoMA has speculated on a reopening between July and September.
Some other museums in the rest of the USA, including in Houston, Miami, and Cleveland, can be found in this article at the New York Times and this one at The Architect’s Newspaper. Here there is no overall trend, as each state and even each individual institution is handling the situation differently. In California, museums identified as “outdoor” are reopening – such as Huntington Gardens – while others have no prospects at the moment. The Getty Museum and Getty Villa have suspended programming until at least September, and LACMA until 2021 – and neither has mentioned opening doors to visitors before then.
How about our island friends? The Tate’s director is aiming for a reopening in early August, and said that other big museums – hopefully the British Museum?? – are working on a plan for a staggered opening later this summer. Information particularly about smaller museums is not yet publicly available.
Museums in China had reopened as early as May 1, but with the recent new outbreak of coronavirus, some have closed again. These include Minsheng Art Museum Beijing and Beijing’s new X Museum. But the National Museum of China and the Palace Museum remain open.
Good news for visitors to Paris: the Louvre will reopen on July 6! Be aware of the precautionary measures before you go. The Musée Marmotan has reopened. The Musée de l’Orangerie will open on June 22, and the Musée d’Orsay on June 23. On June 25 the Eiffel Tower opens again, mais oui! – but only the lower two viewing platforms, and only via stairs not elevator. The Pompidou Center reopens on July 1. See the list with more museums and opening dates here.
Some great national museums elsewhere in Europe are also open again. In Greece, the Acropolis Museum opened this week for visitors. The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is also welcoming visitors back. In Rome, the Vatican Museums have already reopened, as have Palazzo Altemps and Palazzo Massimo (2 days ago); on June 27 the Baths of Diocletian reopen.