As the COVID-19 pandemic unfurls its impact globally, the cultural heartbeat of our society – museums and art fairs – finds itself in an unprecedented predicament. This insidious virus is not just a health crisis but also a cultural one, profoundly affecting the art world. Many museums, the custodians of history and creativity, have had to shutter their doors, bowing to the necessity of public safety and health regulations. Meanwhile, art fairs, vibrant marketplaces of artistic exchange, have been compelled to pause as the world grapples with this unforeseen challenge.
The ripples of this pandemic have led to significant disruptions. Some museums face prolonged closures, a silent echo in halls once buzzing with the contemplation of art lovers. Others have had to reluctantly postpone or cancel eagerly anticipated events, exhibitions, and gatherings, leaving artists and art enthusiasts in a state of limbo.
Below is a list of museums that have temporarily ceased their operations in response to the Coronavirus pandemic, a testament to the far-reaching impact of this global health crisis on the cultural fabric of our society.
List of COVID-19 Related Closures at Museums Around the World
Austria
Albertina, Vienna
Belvedere, Vienna (three locations)
Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna
Leopold Museum, Vienna
MAK, Vienna
Paintings Gallery at Academy of Fine Arts Vienna
Belgium
WIELS Contemporary Art Centre, Brussels
China
Guangdong Art Museum, Guangzhou
National Art Museum of China, Beijing
Power Station of Art, Shanghai (reopened March 13)
Shanghai Museum (reopened March 13)
Union Art Museum, Wuhan
UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, multiple locations
Denmark
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek
Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen
National Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen
Hirschsprung Collection, Copenhagen
National Gallery of Denmark, Copenhagen
France
Centre Pompidou, Paris
Centre Pompidou-Metz, Metz
Jeu de Paume, Paris
Louvre, Paris
Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
Musée d’Orsay, Paris
Musée de l’Orangerie, Paris
Palais de Tokyo, Paris
Germany
Alte Pinakothek, Munich
Gropius Bau, Berlin
Haus der Kunst, Munich
Jewish Museum, Berlin
Kunsthalle Bremen
Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg
KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin
Museum Barberini, Potsdam
Museum Brandhorst, Munich
Museum Ludwig, Cologne
Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich
Sammlung Schack, Munich
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (consortium of 19 museums in Berlin
including the Altes Museum, Gemäldegalerie, Pergamonmuseum, Neue
Nationalgalerie, and Museum für Fotografie)
Hong Kong
Hong Kong Museum of Art, Tsim Sha Tsui (partially reopened on March 11)
Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Sha Tin (partially reopened on March 11)
Hong Kong Film Archive, Aldrich Bay (partially reopened on March 11)
Hong Kong Museum of History, Tsim Sha Tsui
Ireland
Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin
National Museum of Ireland, Dublin and Castlebar
National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin
Italy
Fondazione Prada, Milan
Galleria Borghese, Rome
MAXXI, Rome
Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice
Palazzo Grassi, Venice
Scuderie del Quirinale, Rome
Uffizi Gallery, Florence
Vatican Museums, Rome
Japan
Kyoto National Museum
Mori Art Museum, Tokyo
National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo
National Museum of Art, Osaka
Ōta Memorial Museum of Art, Tokyo
Tokyo National Museum
Monaco
Nouveau Musée National de Monaco
Netherlands
Mauritshuis, the Hague
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
Russia
Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow
South Korea
Leeum Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul
National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul
National Museum of Korea, Seoul
Spain
Fundació Joan Miró, Barcelona
MACBA Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona
Museo del Prado, Madrid
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid
Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid
Switzerland
Fondation Beyeler, Riehen
Kunsthalle Basel
Kunsthaus Zurich
Kunstmuseum Basel
United Arab Emirates
Sharjah Art Foundation
United States
Arkansas
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Momentary, Bentonville
California
Asian Art Museum, San Francisco
The Broad, Los Angeles
CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, San Francisco
The Fine Art Museums of San Francisco (de Young and Legion of Honor)
Fowler Museum at UCLA, Los Angeles
Getty Center and Getty Villa, Los Angeles
Hammer Museum, Los Angeles
Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens (partial closure: indoor spaces closed, gardens remain open)
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (both Grand Avenue and Geffen Contemporary locations)
San Diego Museum of Art
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco
Colorado
Aspen Art Museum
Denver Art Museum
Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art, Denver
Connecticut
Wesleyan Center for the Arts, Middleton
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Florida
The Dalí Museum, St. Petersburg
Pérez Art Museum Miami
Illinois
Art Institute of Chicago
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
Museum of Contemporary Photography, Columbia College Chicago
National Museum of Mexican Art, Chicago
Louisiana
Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans
New Orleans Museum of Art
Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans
Maine
Portland Museum of Art
Massachusetts
Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge
Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge
Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University, Waltham
Michigan
Detroit Institute of Arts
Minnesota
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
Missouri
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City
New York
Artists Space, New York City
Brooklyn Museum, New York City
Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York City
Children’s Museum of the Arts, New York City
The Drawing Center, New York City
El Museo del Barrio, New York City
Frick Collection, New York City
Jewish Museum, New York City
Judd Foundation, New York City
Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, New York City
Lincoln Center, New York City
Metropolitan Museum of Art (all three locations), New York City
MoMA PS1, New York City
Morgan Library & Museum, New York City
Museum of Modern Art, New York City
New Museum, New York City
New-York Historical Society, New York City
Rubin Museum of Art, New York City
The Shed, New York City
Whitney Museum, New York City
Ohio
Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center
Cleveland Museum of Art
Columbus Museum of Art
Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland
Toledo Museum of Art
Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus
Oregon
Portland Art Museum
Pennsylvania
Institute of Contemporary Art Philadelphia
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh
Texas
Ballroom Marfa
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
Dallas Museum of Art
Judd Foundation, Marfa
The Menil Collection, Houston
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Virginia
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond
Washington
Frye Art Museum, Seattle
Seattle Art Museum
Washington, D.C.
Hirshhorn National Museum of Modern Art
National Gallery of Art
The Phillips Collection
Smithsonian Institution (19 Washington, D.C. museums, plus a couple in New York)
United Kingdom
ICA London
The Other Art Fair
Cabinet Gallery
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