Kengo Kuma Wins National Gallery Expansion, Pompidou Opens Seoul Outpost in 2026

Kengo Kuma and Associates, BDP, and MICA have won the Project Domani competition to design a new wing for London's National Gallery, marking a £750 million expansion funded partly by private donations. The Japanese architect, already responsible for Scotland's V&A Dundee, described the commission as a privilege and responsibility. The jury, chaired by National Gallery Chairman John Booth, praised the design's innovative approach to public space and its sensitivity to the surrounding urban fabric. Meanwhile, the Centre Pompidou Hanwha will open in Seoul's Yeouido financial district on June 4, 2026, coinciding with the 140th anniversary of Franco-Korean diplomatic relations. Designed by Jean-Michel Wilmotte of Wilmotte & Associés, the 11,000-square-meter museum transforms the historic 63 Building aquarium into a 'light box' with translucent double glazing. The Seoul outpost will launch with 'The Cubists: Inventing Modern Vision,' featuring approximately 90 works by Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Juan Gris, Fernand Léger, and Sonia and Robert Delaunay. This opening is part of the Pompidou's Constellation program, which includes new locations in Brussels and Francilien de Massy in 2026, joining existing sites in Metz, Malaga, and Shanghai. The National Gallery's expansion aims to make it the world's only museum exclusively dedicated to painting, tracing the entire history of Western art.