One of Monaco’s most significant cultural investments in a generation is about to begin. The Nouveau Musée National de Monaco has announced a major restoration and extension of the Villa Sauber, designed by the Renzo Piano Building Workshop, that will transform the building from a 600 m² exhibition space into a 4,000 m² cultural complex — more than six times its current size.
According to a statement released by the Prince’s Government on Friday, Work begins in September 2026 and is expected to complete in September 2029, during which time the NMNM will continue to operate from its Villa Paloma site.
What is being built
The project goes well beyond a simple expansion. The future Villa Sauber is conceived as an open cultural ecosystem, incorporating permanent collection galleries alongside spaces for large-scale temporary exhibitions — a capacity the museum has long lacked. New additions include a library, educational workshops, an auditorium, a café and a redesigned landscaped garden.
That garden is central to the architectural vision. Designed as the connective tissue between the historic villa and its new extension, it will be structured in sequences: a stone forecourt, a central clearing, an orangery planted with citrus trees, roses and jasmine, and an exotic wooded border that creates a green buffer between the museum and the surrounding urban environment. The garden will remain publicly accessible during museum opening hours throughout the works, with only three brief interruptions of two weeks each anticipated over the three-year construction period.
In preparation for the September start, Monaco’s urban planning authority has already begun transplanting trees and plants from the existing garden. The citrus trees have largely been replanted along the central reservation of Avenue Princesse Grace and in the terrace gardens of the Fairmont.
A new home for Monaco’s national collections
The project also addresses a long-standing gap in Monaco’s cultural infrastructure: the permanent housing of the national collections on Monegasque territory. From 2028, the NMNM’s reserves will be installed beneath the hill at Mareterra — Monaco’s newest land extension — ensuring that the Principality’s artistic heritage is preserved and stored within its own borders for the first time.
Accessibility has also been factored into the design, with improved pedestrian routes for those with reduced mobility between Avenue Princesse Grace and the Boulevard du Larvotto forming part of the broader works.
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Photo credit: Cassandra Tanti