The opening of the hotly-anticipated M+ museum of modern and contemporary visual culture in Hong Kong, which has been postponed multiple times over the last few years, has been delayed until fall 2021. A spokesperson for the museum told the Art Newspaper that work on the Herzog & de Meuron–designed institution “will now focus on the construction of internal fittings and fixtures, including the installation of the M+ collections and preparing the museum to open later next year.”
The M+ museum is part of the West Kowloon Cultural District, which is set to include an Art Park, Xiqu Centre for Chinese opera, the Hong Kong Palace Museum, and the Lyric Theatre by 2024. According to the Art Newspaper, the M+ museum’s public spaces will be completed in November. When it opens, it will be one of the biggest institutions in Hong Kong, occupying 700,000 square feet.
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The museum was initially set to open in 2017. After that date was pushed back, it had been planning for an unveiling in 2020. One of the setbacks to its opening was the 2018 firing of the main contractor on the building. Now, there has been another departure— the project’s chief executive, Duncan Pescod, will reportedly leave his post on November 28.
Henry Tang Ying-yen, chairman of the West Kowloon Cultural District’s board, said of Pescod, “During his tenure, the smooth commissioning of different arts and culture and construction projects, as well as Duncan’s determination to surmount numerous challenges have all laid a solid foundation for the district’s future development in the long term.”
The West Kowloon Cultural District will undertake a search for a new chief executive following Pescod’s departure.
Source: artnews.com