The Smithsonian has announced that it is considering opening new exhibition space in east London’s cultural quarter in Olympic Park. This will be the first time the 168-year-old museum will expand beyond the United States.
The new exhibition space, which will consist of a 40,000-square-foot gallery, would feature rotating and permanent exhibitions drawn from across the Smithsonian’s collection of 138 million objects. Some of the displays may include Dorothy’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, different art pieces and the space shuttle Discovery.
Admission to the new site will be free and London’s mayor, Boris Johnson, has already gotten $50 million to construct the facility and launch all the various exhibits and programs. They plan on using private funding, admission fees for temporary exhibitions and retail revenue so viewers will not have to pay to enter the space.
Johnson approached The Smithsonian, as well as the Guggenheim, about having a satellite in the cultural quarter last fall. Today, the museums board of regents gave acting secretary Al Horvath permission to develop the terms for an agreement with the London Legacy Development Corp. Negotiations for the project are set to begin immediately, and if projections are correct, the space will open in 2021.
“A Smithsonian in Stratford has the potential to be a game-changer for London and its major museums, especially the Science Museum when you think of National Air and Space Museum's collection. Not to mention the collections of the Hirshhorn, Freer, Sackler in terms of fine and decorative art,” says Javier Pes, the museum's editor of The Art Newspaper, adding, “And its collection of pop culture has proven box-office appeal.”
