Portland’s oldest art museum is set to fully reopen with a new Rothko Pavilion Portland’s oldest art museum is set to fully reopen with a new Rothko Pavilion

The Portland Art Museum is set to fully open to the public after nearly a decade’s worth of renovation and expansion work, including the addition of the new Rothko Pavilion.

Named after Mark Rothko, the abstract expressionist who is one of America’s most successful and renowned artists, the 100,000 sq ft pavilion is the product of a US$111 million (£84 million) and nine-year-long renovation and expansion project.

Located in the heart of downtown Portland’s Cultural District, the expanded museum’s 300 new acquisitions will showcase female artists, Black and Native American artists of colour, amongst others, when it opens on 20 November 2025.

Born to a Jewish family in Daugavpils, Latvia, then part of the Russian Empire, Rothko, born Markus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz, emigrated with his family to the United States, arriving at Ellis Island in 1913 and settling in Portland, Oregon.

He moved to New York City in 1923, where his artistic output dealt primarily with urban scenery.

The artist once said, “One does not paint for design students or historians but for human beings, and the reaction in human terms is the only thing that is really satisfactory to the artist.”

The expanded Portland Art Museum will feature improved amenities and universal accessibility features, as well as new outdoor gathering spaces, including terraces, plazas, a café, and a museum store.

A new European bistro will offer a seasonal menu inspired by the museum’s exhibitions alongside breakfast, lunch, and dessert options.

Direct flights are available between London Heathrow and Portland International five times weekly with British Airways. The flight take just under ten hours, with prices starting from £497.

More info: portlandartmuseum.org

Read next: A new museum dedicated to Indian artist M. F. Husain has opened in Qatar