The Art Newspaper identified a trio of museum projects in Los Angeles as among the most anticipated cultural developments of 2026. The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson is scheduled to open on September 22 in Exposition Park following more than a decade of development. The $1 billion institution designed by Ma Yansong of MAD Architects will feature 35 galleries along with theaters and educational facilities focused on narrative art spanning from ancient works to modern illustrations. A companion report noted that the collection includes pieces by artists such as Norman Rockwell and Frida Kahlo.
The same city will also welcome the expanded Los Angeles County Museum of Art in April at a cost of $720 million and Dataland the world’s first museum of artificial intelligence and digital arts set to open in spring. These additions come as global museum numbers continue to grow. UNESCO data places the current total at approximately 104,000 institutions worldwide representing a roughly 60 percent increase since 2012.
In the United Arab Emirates the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island is expected to open during the year after prolonged construction. The Frank Gehry-designed museum will complement other cultural institutions that debuted on the island in 2025 including a natural history museum. This project forms part of Abu Dhabi’s long-term strategy to establish itself as an international arts destination according to multiple published assessments.
Europe will see the London Museum open in late 2026 within the repurposed Smithfield Market site at a cost of £437 million. The expanded facility will display more than seven million objects related to the city’s history including works by Canaletto and contemporary pieces by artists such as Jeremy Deller. A January review by the Museums Association listed the venue among the year’s largest international museum projects.
Rising cultural tourism supports the wave of new openings. UN Tourism figures show international arrivals reached 1.52 billion in 2025 exceeding pre-pandemic levels with around 40 percent of travelers engaging in cultural activities. A UNESCO-ICOM survey conducted in 2026 found that 57 percent of responding museums utilize artificial intelligence tools although more than half lack dedicated governance policies for the technology.
Further openings include the Dr. Jane Goodall Centre of Hope in Tanzania scheduled for late October and renovations at the Design Museum Gent in Belgium set for the same month. These projects add to a diverse international slate that also encompasses expansions in Switzerland and Qatar. The Art Newspaper’s annual visitor survey for 2025 recorded more than 200 million combined visits to the top 100 art museums globally.
