MAC renovations will completely change museum for 2021

Montreal's Musée d'art contemporain (MAC) announced a redesign Monday that will see it move to a temporary location for two years while its space is renovated until 2021.

Starting in January 2019 its current location will close and a temporary one nearby will open in the spring — details on the temporary space will be released soon.

The MAC is located at the corner of Jeanne-Mance and Ste-Catherine streets, meaning Montreal's Place des Festivals will be subjected to two years of construction during the renovations.

"We can't make omelets without breaking eggs," said Alexandre Taillefer, the chair of the MAC's board of trustees.

A consortium of Quebec architects, Saucier + Perrotte Architects / GLCRM & Associates Architects, won the design competition to remodel the MAC.

Architect Gilles Saucier said the design will help attract more people to the museum.

The MAC's attendance has been steadily increasing for the past few years, culminating in a record 600,000 visitors projected for this year.

Quebec Culture Minister Marie Montpetit was at the announcement and said the project will benefit the artistic community and city.

The MAC is considered the most important national museum dedicated exclusively to the promotion of contemporary art.

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante called the redesign "excellent news for Montreal."

The MAC's new location is scheduled to open in the fall of 2021 and will nearly double exhibition space as well as change its façade, expand its entrance and create new spaces for its restaurant and boutique.

The project has a budget of $44 million and part of that will come from a fundraising campaign launched Monday by the Museum of Contemporary Art Foundation which seeks to raise $7 million.