DENVER (KDVR) — When Condé Nast Traveler magazine unveiled its “2022 Hot List” of the best new museums in the world, only two U.S. locations were on the list – and one of them is in Denver. While this local museum might not be brand new, it did recently undergo a major change.
The Denver Art Museum made the list for its $150 million renovation, which fully reopened last October. The renovations centered around the Martin Building, designed by Italian architect Gio Ponti, which originally opened in 1971. Changes included the addition of the Sie Welcome Center, with its rounded glass exterior.
The Denver Art Museum’s Sie Welcome Center at night. (Handout Photo by James Florio, via Denver Art Museum) 
The Anna and John J. Sie Welcome Center and Martin Building at the Denver Art Museum. (Handout Photo by Jeff Wells, via Denver Art Museum) 
The Sie Welcome Center and Martin Building under construction at the Denver Art Museum in April 2019. (Handout Photo by the Denver Art Museum) 
Construction of the school and youth group drop-off and tube entrance at the Denver Art Museum in May 2019. (Handout Photo by the Denver Art Museum) 
Exterior courtyard under construction, with Martin Building, Sie Welcome Center and Hamilton Building at the Denver Art Museum. (Handout Photo by Jeff Wells, via Denver Art Museum) 
Duncan Hall in the Martin Building at the Denver Art Museum shortly before its 2020 opening. (Handout Photo by Jeff Wells, via Denver Art Museum) 
The interior of the new Ponti restaurant in the Sie Welcome Center at the Denver Art Museum. (Handout Photo by Eric Stephenson, Denver Art Museum) 
The Denver Art Museum’s new conservation laboratory in the Martin Building. (Handout Photo by James Florio, via Denver Art Museum) 
The Denver Art Museum’s Hamilton Building, with the Martin Building in the background, in October 2019. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) 
The Denver Art Museum’s Martin Building Schlessman Family Bridge and group entrance at night. (Handout Photo by James Florio via PR Newswire / Denver Art Museum)
In recognizing the museum, CN Traveler called it “Smithsonian in its scope” while noting that floors dedicated to unique collections are “each worthy of an afternoon.” The other U.S. location featured by the magazine is The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, which opened last fall.
Construction at the Denver Art Museum closed the north portion of its campus near Civic Center Park in 2017. The four years of renovations added nearly 50,000 square feet of usable space, while its footprint remained unchanged.
Ranking among the largest art museums in the United States, the Denver Art Museum holds more than 70,000 works of art, while also hosting traveling collections. Details on the museum, including tickets and events, can be found on its website. The full “2022 Hot List” is posted on CN Traveler’s website.
