The National Museum of Norway, touted to be the largest museum in the country, is slated to open on June 11, 2022.
The National Museum of Art, Architecture, and Design, as it is officially called, is a project in works for more than 7 years. It was originally scheduled to be inaugurated in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused the plans to halt. Now, the work is resumed and the Oslo-based museum will debut in 2022.
The mega-museum will bring together three of the largest art collections in Norway – National Gallery, Museum of Contemporary Art, and Kunstindustrimuseet. All of these 3 museums have closed in the past 5 years. Now, their combined collection, that number around 5000, will grace the walls of the National Museum. Among its many impressive artworks, perhaps the most talked-about is The Scream by Edward Munch – one of the most iconic artworks in the world.
The sprawling mega-museum will be built over 54,000 square meters of space. Of this, 13,000 square meters would be dedicated to the exhibition space alone. This will make it the largest museum in not just Norway, but also in the entire Nordic region. The entire cost of the project is estimated at $723 million. The museum will feature two stories, 90 galleries, cafés, and the largest library in the country. One of the highlights of the museum is the Light Hall – a 2400 square meters exhibition space on the roof, reserved for special shows.
While the museum has a long way before being ready for debut, the government is eager to share the project with the public. As such, some portions of the museum have opened for the general public to view. The move is also expected to attract investors and sponsors.
