After more than a decade of delays and much anticipation, the Grand Egyptian Museum has opened its 12 main galleries, the Grand Staircase, and the Children’s Museum. The caveat is that its prized King Tutankhamun collection and two King Khufu solar boats will remain under wraps until the yet-to-be-announced official opening. Nevertheless, there is plenty to see, with 15,000 artifacts spanning as far back as 700,000 BCE, up until the 4th century AD.

The Grand Egyptian Museum has revealed itself in phases over the last couple of years, starting with private events in November 2022 before opening its main atrium and retail area in February 2023. The over 30-foot high, 82-ton, 3,200-year-old Ramses II statue was the first piece to be moved to the Grand Egyptian Museum site back in 2006, and it is the first artifact to greet visitors upon entering. Tours of the Grand Staircase—lined with more than 60 large statues, stelae, doorways, columns, and sarcophagi—followed a year ago. The Children’s Museum also quietly opened, and then, earlier this fall, with only a week’s notice, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced that the main galleries would open for a “trial run” starting October 16.

Billed as the world’s largest archaeological museum dedicated to a single civilization, the Grand Egyptian Museum holds more than 50,000 artifacts. These include the full Tutankhamun collection of about 5,300 items, another 30,000 in temporary rotating exhibitions, and the 15,000 artifacts that are now on display in the newly opened main galleries. We were among the first inside to get a glimpse.

The view of the Giza Pyramids from the soft-opened Grand Egyptian Museum.

Anadolu/Getty Images

What to expect from the Grand Egyptian Museum (so far)

Visitors can opt to book admission tickets or 90-minute guided tours, which are offered in English and Arabic every hour, seven times a day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. However, as one of the first to visit, I can attest that 90 minutes doesn’t feel long to cover thousands of years of ancient history, so expect to speed through the museum and just grasp the highlights. After a brief overview of the pieces in the Grand Hall, the guide took my group up the escalator to whizz past the Grand Staircase and touch on its four themes, before stopping at the top to admire a view of the Pyramids of Giza, then turning into the main galleries.

The galleries are organized both in chronological order and by theme. Galleries one to three cover the Prehistoric Period, Predynastic Period, Early Dynastic Period, Old Kingdom, and First Intermediate Period between around 700,000 BCE to 2,034 BCE. Galleries four to six cover the Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period between 2,034 BCE and 1,550 BCE. Galleries seven to nine cover the New Kingdom between 1,550 BCE and 1,069 BCE. The last galleries, 10 to 12, cover the Graeco-Roman Period, Late Period, and Third Intermediate Period between 1,069 BCE and 394 AD. Each period touches on three themes: society, kingship, and beliefs.

In one of the oldest galleries in Paris, more than twenty works from the series Les Fables de La Fontaine will be on show for the very first time. Produced between 1926 and 1927, the series was commissioned by art dealer, publisher, and writer Ambroise Vollard to illustrate the eponymous book. It was a choice that was misunderstood at the time: Why ask a Russian painter to interpret the most French of poets? It was precisely this paradox that interested Vollard. The result is a series of free and exuberant works, as well as ten other works by the artist.

Tomona Matsukawa, Finally, 2024, Huile sur lin montée sur panneauTomona Matsukawa, Courtesy Ceysson & Bénétière

Tomona Matsukawa, As I am at Gallery Ceysson & Bénétière

Dates: Now until July 13

There is something striking about the ultra-realistic works of Japanese artist Tomona Matsukawa. Born in 1987 in Aichi, she graduated from Tama University in 2011, and quickly specialized in oil painting. Her works, however, have a distinctive quality. Born from conversations with women of her generation, her portraits depict remnants of everyday life, like fragments of banality, made exceptional by the same process. These realistic canvases take on a dramatic aspect, whether they represent a mobile phone screen, a delicate earring, or a damaged notebook. It’s a way of highlighting life’s great vulnerability by rendering even the smallest moments beautiful.

Ellsworth Kelly, Four Greens, Upper Manhattan Bay, 1957, Collage sur carte postale / Collage on postcard, 8,6 × 13 cm, Collection particulière / Private collectionEllsworth Kelly Foundation

Matisse, L’Atelier rouge at the Fondation Louis Vuitton

Dates: Now until September 9

Comparative exhibitions are undoubtedly one of the great successes of the Fondation Louis Vuitton—and it will do exactly that by putting Henri Matisse’s work face to face with that of Ellsworth Kelly. Titled L’Atelier rouge, referencing the 1911 Matisse masterpiece, this exhibition gathers the works from his renowned red studio for the first time, complemented by previously unreleased archival documents and pieces, offering insights into the central painting’s origins and the journey behind its creation. The exhibition devoted to Ellsworth Kelly’s art is titled Forms and Colours (1949–2015), to emphasize the influence of Matisse on his vision. Matisse’s radical decision to saturate the surface with a layer of red paint captivated Ellsworth Kelly, ultimately reshaping the trajectory of his life, which began in 1923 in New York state, just about 100 years ago. This exhibition is an anniversary, and the opening of a dialogue to find new avenues of reflection, as much on the disciple as on his master.

For more of Condé Nast Traveler’s coverage of Paris this summer and during the 2024 Olympic Games, click here.

Our family was visiting Donuimun Museum Village, a full city block of traditional hanoks and more modern structures that is now a time capsule of Seoul history and culture from the 1890s to the 1990s. The free museum is named for the old western gate of the Seoul Fortress Wall. Which stood nearby until the Japanese colonial government demolished it in 1915. As Meggie Yu, our seemingly omniscient guide from InsideAsia Tours. Explained, these buildings were themselves slated for demolition to make way for a neighborhood park until the city, recognizing their historical value. Changed course and established Donuimun in 2017. The museum continues to expand; its latest addition focuses on clothing, including traditional costumes that guests can rent.

Meggie led us from one corner of village to another. Challenging kids to come up with a question about Korea she couldn’t answer. (Our son eventually struck gold with “How many buildings are there in Seoul?”) In an airy hanok, the artist Dobong taught us how to write our names using Hangul calligraphy. In the Village Yard, Meggie explained how to play jegichagi, a Hacky Sack–like outdoor game widely beloved in Korea. Several dads dazzled their children with their footwork. (I was not among them.)

For lunch, we ducked into Snack Bar for School, a cafeteria-style space like the ones students once tumbled into after finishing their classes to load up on kimbap and tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes). Nearby we found a mini-museum devoted to the history of makgeolli, the traditional Korean fermented rice wine that young Koreans are increasingly mixing with Sprite. (We tried it that way—pretty good!) One of the most entertaining parts of Donuimun is a cluster of humdrum buildings separated by steep, crooked alleys with exhibits that capture the postwar rise of South Korea’s robust culture industry. Here you’ll find a pocket-size cinema, a comic-book shop, a music lounge. And a video game arcade decorated with neon Pac-Man flourishes. There’s also an old barbershop and an ’80s-style wedding-hall photo studio, where we gamely posed for a family portrait.

This article appeared in the September/October 2023 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazine here.

It seems hard to believe now, but not so long ago most visitors to Miami bypassed the showrooms and studios of the Design District for South Beach or downtown. The roots of the neighborhood’s current cachet lie in the 1990s, when local developer Craig Robins, seeing potential in the area—a former pineapple plantation—began buying up its rundown storefronts and leasing them to top-tier designers. Eventually he partnered with L Catterton Real Estate to shape it into what it is today: an inviting and eclectic hub of cutting-edge art, scene-y restaurants, and high-end shops, all presented in a distinctively vibrant South Florida style. True to form, the Design District continues to evolve: Opening soon is a major renovation of The Moore, a landmark building sure to become a neighborhood anchor. Come for the colorful people-watching, which is always guaranteed—and stick around for everything else.

The culture kick

The city’s explosion of annual art fairs since the turn of the century (Art Basel, Scope, NADA, and more) hasn’t just put Miami on the global cultural map—it has also upped the level of work shown year-round. Case in point: the de la Cruz Collection. The clean-lined, 30,000-square-foot museum, which opened in 2009, houses the extensive contemporary holdings of local couple Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz. Félix Gonzáles-Torres, Hernan Bas, and Glenn Ligon are among the artists whose work is spread across its three floors. Nearby, the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, showcases pieces from the likes of Hervé Télémaque and Rashid Johnson and hosts a rotating slate of exhibitions (a Charles Gaines show kicks off in November). There’s also powerful public art scattered throughout the district—pencil in a stroll to see works by Sol LeWitt, Xavier Veilhan, and Frei Otto.

Grab some global bites

Greek spot Mandolin Aegean Bistro, a beloved district hangout since 2009, remains perpetually packed. While waiting for your table, pop next door to its retail arm, Mrs. Mandolin, for straight-from-the-Aegean goods like green oregano and honey, plus housewares like hand-painted wine glasses and chunky wooden cutting boards. Also popular is MIA Market, a high-end but low-key food court; hit Jaffa for Israeli dishes like roasted turmeric cauliflower and Sushi Yasu Tanaka for perfectly executed nigiri.

Stay, play, and work

Built in 1921 by farm owner T.V. Moore as a furniture showroom, the cavernous Moore building is as beloved for its gorgeous Art Deco bones as for Elastika, the commanding Zaha Hadid–designed sculpture that has stretched across its soaring atrium since 2005. Previously used as an event space, it has recently undergone a dramatic transformation thanks to the Dallas-based hospitality company WoodHouse; opening later this year are a restaurant, a members’ club, and a coworking space, with 15 well-appointed hotel rooms to follow in 2024.

The cool threads in town

Miami’s idiosyncratic style—bold and exuberant yet relaxed—is reflected in several clothing stores throughout the district; Alchemist, which sells its own line of confident unisex tees, hoodies, and baggy trousers, is one of them. A few blocks away, there’s MRKT, where the specialty is colorful, casual men’s attire with swagger, like RRR-123’s graphics-adorned sweats. Nearby, Patron of the New, a second outpost of a store with roots in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood, is a source of fashionable designerwear from au courant brands like Marni, Rhude, and Casablanca. Its locally focused selection includes street-smart pieces rendered in bright colors that are perfect for the sunshine.

Design shop drop-ins

Miami native Lisa Walsh’s passion for Moroccan artisanship drives Tighemi and Tighemi Concept, a pair of adjacent stores (the latter of which she opened with her daughter, Lauren). The former stocks clothing and accessories, like fluid cashmere tunics and suede babouche slides; the latter, home goods, including handmade vases and handwoven Berber rugs. Nearby are three stylish shops from local boy Matthew Chevallard: Concetto Limone, which has the area’s largest selection of Memphis Milano furniture; Blu Scarpa, with jewelry and shoes designed by Chevallard himself; and The Office, a showroom for works by emerging artists.

This article appeared in the September/October 2023 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazine here.

Get thee to New York’s museums and get thee to them now. Life in the Big Apple begins anew in springtime and arriving with it is a bounty of new exhibitions and goings-on at the city’s many museums and cultural institutions. The first Monday in May heralds the start of the most anticipated of them all—a new installation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, christened by the annual Met Gala extravaganza. But aside from this, the Met and its peers are just as busy with a myriad of other exhibits to cater to every type of museum-goer—find our guide below.

David Zwirner Gallery, 19th Street

Spanning three of David Zwirner’s gallery spaces—located side-by-side at 519, 525, and 533 West 19th Street—and running from May 11-July 21, I Spend Each Day Embracing Flowers is one of the most ambitious gallery displays of the beloved Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s work to date. It’s also all new—new sculptures next to new paintings next to a brand new infinity mirror installation. The exhibition is free and operates on a first-come, first-served basis, and each visitor’s time within the Infinity Mirrored Room is clocked to ensure that everyone who shows up will get a chance to see it for themselves. 

At David Zwirner, Yayoi Kusama’s I Spend Each Day Embracing Flowers includes three new sculptures featuring one of the artist’s recurring motifs, pumpkins. 

Installation view, Yayoi Kusama: I Spend Each Day Embracing Flowers
YAYOI KUSAMA/Courtesy of David Zwirner

Senior editor Megan Spurrell checked it out: “You’re going to wait in a long line to get into the infinity room—it was at least 50-75-people deep when I dropped by at lunchtime on a Tuesday—though you can subscribe to David Zwirner’s email list for a chance to cut the queue. Inside, it is pretty amazing—and a lot more colorful than most of her other infinity rooms. The good news: It’s totally free, and you can just walk in off the street, zero wait, to the hangar-style space housing her massive flower sculptures.”

Knockdown Center

If you’ve heard of Knockdown Center in Maspeth, Queens, it’s probably in its context as a music venue. Indeed, the multipurpose space will, per usual, host a bevy of exciting programming in the summer months—Outline Festival, an unofficial summer kick-off, is a celebration of international electronic music that runs from May 19-20 and brings DJs, art installations, panel discussions, and more to the Center’s enormous atrium. All the while, Knockdown’s sprawling industrial campus houses temporary art exhibitions that are worth checking out. Artists are encouraged, at present and on a rolling basis, to submit self-designed flags to the Philip von Zweck project Temporary Allegiance—selected flags will fly for two weeks each from the 40-foot flagpole that greets visitors at Knockdown Center’s entrance. In collaboration with Queens gallery Mrs., there’s also the new mural Vessels by Mark Mulroney, which is on display in the East Corridor through September 4.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Following the Met Gala festivities, the Costume Institute’s 2023 exhibition opens to the public on May 5. A dedicated love letter to the career of the late Karl Lagerfeld—the creative director that made Chanel, Fendi, and Chloé the brands they are today—Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty collages some 150 pieces of clothing from the aforementioned houses (ranging from his first creative expressions in the 1950’s to his final 2019 Chanel collection) with the designer’s sketches and other juxtaposed multimedia footage.

The exhibition presupposes that most modern designers (read: anyone designing clothes in a post-Lagerfeld world) strive to take on Lagerfeld’s legacy in one way or another. His artistic pursuits—meticulous sketching, namely, and an obsession with modernity—are only part of this. Lagerfeld-as-impresario—the discerning, collecting, black-and-white uniform-donning personality—some would say almost eclipsed his work. Each room presents contrasting lines of interest for Lagerfeld; artisanal versus mechanical, floral versus geometric, rococo versus classical. But things get interesting when they drop that approach in the final room and focus on the satirical—this room is full of tongue-in-cheek references to Lagerfeld’s own celebrity as well as some unexpected acts of kitsch, camp, and whimsy (think a dress embroidered with a candlestick so that the wearer’s head pops out of the wick).

If you find yourself at the Met on or after May 22, you’d be remiss to miss out on Van Gogh’s Cypresses, which will run through August 27.

Museum of the Moving Image

Astoria’s fabulous Museum of the Moving Image launched Cinema of Sensations: The Never-Ending Screen of Val del Omar in March—this is the first major stateside exhibition of Spanish photographer José Val del Omar’s immersive cinematic works. Open through October 1, this exhibit functions almost as a deconstructed film—museumgoers effectively step through the camera and into scenes, moving amid Val del Omar’s photographs, archival materials, films, and inventions. International contemporary artists—everyone from Sally Golding and Matt Spendlove to Basque filmmaking pair Duo Prismáticas (comprised of Aitziber Olaskoaga and Pilar Monsell)—have supplied pieces to further augment the experience. 

Elsewhere at MoMI, The Jim Henson Exhibition is an ongoing tribute to its namesake’s work on shows like The Muppets, Sesame Street, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and more. Be sure to say hello to Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Elmo, Big Bird, and all of their friends (47 puppets are included in a collection of some 300 total artifacts).

The American Museum of Natural History

Across Central Park on the Upper West Side, a whole new building at the American Museum of Natural History makes its debut. The Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation opens May 5 and, among many other things, brings all kinds of bugs to NYC. Manhattan’s newest residents live in the Gilder Center’s vast and impressive insectarium and vivarium, which between them account for all sorts of butterflies and some 500,000 leafcutter ants, among others. There’s also Invisible Worlds, an immersive experience that will have even skeptics of such installations (that have swept through cities the world over since Van Gogh’s swirls starred in an episode of Emily in Paris a few years back) darting around guiding water through root systems with their feet. The true highlight, whether or not you’re a fan of architectural wizardry, is the Jeanne Gang-designed building itself. Swirling upward with no dead ends and an artfully-incorporated Collections Core, this Derinkuyu-esque beauty fills the viewer with a wonder so childlike that this writer may or may not have teared up a bit at the sheer joy of getting to walk around in it.