The World Ahead 2022
Noteworthy new museums are opening their doors in 2022
From Bob Dylan, to Broadway, to a new National Museum in Oslo
IT HAS BEEN a grim couple of years for museums. In 2019 more than 230m people visited the 100 most popular institutions worldwide; in 2020, that figure fell to 54m because of coronavrius lockdowns and social-distancing requirements. More than 40% of museums surveyed by UNESCO, the cultural arm of the United Nations, had to close again for parts of 2021 amid new waves of the virus. The pandemic has negatively affected ticket sales—a crucial source of revenue for museums—as well as government subsidies. Some museums have taken to “de-accessioning” (museum-speak for “selling”) artworks from their collections in order to cover wages and running costs.
In the midst of the gloom, 2022 will bring some bright spots for the sector. In May the Bob Dylan Centre will open its doors in Tulsa, Oklahoma, drawing on a collection of more than 100,000 artefacts to explore the musician’s cultural influence. Fans will be able to listen to unreleased recordings by the ten-time Grammy-award-winning singer-songwriter and learn how hits such as “Like a Rolling Stone” were made. Notebooks, letters and other manuscripts will be on display, showing the literary sensibilities that led to Mr Dylan being awarded the Nobel prize in literature in 2016. The folk-rock star has also dabbled in visual art over the years, creating the album cover for “Self Portrait” in 1970 and exhibiting his colourful, expressionistic paintings all over the world. Even dedicated Dylanologists may learn something new.
Bob Dylan’s notebooks, letters, manuscripts and paintings will be on display
Those whose musical tastes are of a more theatrical bent will be able to get their toes tapping at the Museum of Broadway when it makes its debut in New York in the summer. It will tell the story of the historic arts district from 1735, when the first theatre opened, to the present day. (Before the pandemic struck, Broadway had enjoyed its best season in history, grossing $1.8bn in the year to May 2019.) Through visual art and interactive installations, visitors will learn about the industry’s pioneers, go backstage at historic musicals and discover how a Broadway show is produced.
In June, 12 years after the architectural design was chosen, the National Museum in Oslo will open in its new location on the city’s waterfront. The institution was established in 2003 when several museums, including the National Gallery and the Museum of Contemporary Art, were integrated. There will be plenty of room in the new premises, as the museum boasts a total surface area of 54,600 square metres (587,700 square feet), making it the largest of its kind in the Nordic countries (though some locals grumble that it looks like a prison). Around 5,000 artworks from the museum’s collection will be on display, twice as many as before. Its most prized possession is Edvard Munch’s “The Scream”, but the inaugural exhibition will focus on contemporary Norwegian art, asking: “What is good art? And who decides?” Good questions, indeed.
Rachel Lloyd: Deputy culture editor, The Economist■
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition of The World Ahead 2022 under the headline “xxx”