News
The Ashmolean will complete its major redevelopment in November 2009
In the lead up to the opening of the new museum building this November, the Museum and Café are now closed. The Shop remains open for business as usual.
Designed by the award-winning architect Rick Mather, the new Ashmolean building will increase the previous display space by 100%. It will provide the Museum with 39 new galleries, a new education centre, conservation studios, a walkthrough between the Museum and the Cast Gallery and Oxford’s first rooftop café.
An innovative approach to displaying the collections – Crossing Cultures Crossing Time – will transform the way the rich and diverse objects can be understood. Each object’s story will be told by tracing the journey of ideas and influences through time and across continents, enabling visitors to discover how civilizations developed as part of an interrelated world culture.
Themed galleries will explore the connections between objects and activities common to different cultures, such as money, reading and writing and the human image. Entire floors of galleries will be arranged chronologically, charting the development of the ancient and modern worlds.
Since construction started in 2006, the development work has had a minimal impact on the existing building to ensure visitors had access to the collections on display. However, during the next few months builders will need increased access to the existing building to undertake the major work of constructing a new front entrance and creating breakthrough points between the new and old building. The Museum’s closure is necessary for the safety of visitors, the collections, and staff.
Simultaneously, the Western Art galleries have embarked upon a programme of refurbishment to integrate the existing galleries with those being developed in the new museum building. The last and most significant stage of the refurbishment requires the galleries’ closure in order to carry out the relevant maintenance. Installation of the paintings and objects in the new Museum and the renovated Western Art galleries will commence in February 2009.
Designed by the award-winning architect Rick Mather, the new Ashmolean building will increase the previous display space by 100%. It will provide the Museum with 39 new galleries, a new education centre, conservation studios, a walkthrough between the Museum and the Cast Gallery and Oxford’s first rooftop café.
An innovative approach to displaying the collections – Crossing Cultures Crossing Time – will transform the way the rich and diverse objects can be understood. Each object’s story will be told by tracing the journey of ideas and influences through time and across continents, enabling visitors to discover how civilizations developed as part of an interrelated world culture.
Themed galleries will explore the connections between objects and activities common to different cultures, such as money, reading and writing and the human image. Entire floors of galleries will be arranged chronologically, charting the development of the ancient and modern worlds.
Since construction started in 2006, the development work has had a minimal impact on the existing building to ensure visitors had access to the collections on display. However, during the next few months builders will need increased access to the existing building to undertake the major work of constructing a new front entrance and creating breakthrough points between the new and old building. The Museum’s closure is necessary for the safety of visitors, the collections, and staff.
Simultaneously, the Western Art galleries have embarked upon a programme of refurbishment to integrate the existing galleries with those being developed in the new museum building. The last and most significant stage of the refurbishment requires the galleries’ closure in order to carry out the relevant maintenance. Installation of the paintings and objects in the new Museum and the renovated Western Art galleries will commence in February 2009.