THE Penang heritage state museum, which has been closed since April last year, will reopen in 2020 after undergoing an estimated RM20 million conservation and restoration project.

The massive works will include the restoration of the two-storey museum building and extension of its west wing.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who chairs the museum board, said instead of just making building repairs, they would rebuild an entire wing at the museum that was lost in a World War II bombing.

He said the new wing, bombed by the British when the building was used by the Japanese during the occupation, would have a modern design.

“The new wing will have a modern look. It will not be an exact replica of the wing bombed by the Allied Forces,” he told a press conference at the museum today.

Lim acknowledged views that the new design for the west wing would not match the main heritage building.

He said there had been debates when the glass and metal pyramid design was unveiled for the famed Louvre in Paris; that the modern element was inconsistent with the classic French Renaissance style and history of the Louvre.

But it had now become a landmark in Paris, Lim said.

“Let us be brave and bold, and take the plunge here too.”

Lim added that the new wing would also give the museum much needed additional room, including space to hold outdoor or rooftop art exhibitions.

Completion of the works will see the museum become the main hub of MAGnet (Museum and Art Network) events like exhibitions and workshops.

The RM20 million initiative by the Penang government is supported by the George Town Conservation and Development Corporation – a technical partnership involving Chief Minister’s Incorporated, Think City Sdn Bhd, and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.

The museum’s building, which also used to house the state art gallery, was built in the 19th century and was the premises for the first Penang Free School.

The building was taken over by the Hutchings School in 1928.

It was then turned into the state museum in 1964 on the recommendation of Tunku Abdul Rahman, the country’s first prime minister.

Starting from April 14, the Lebuh Farquhar museum’s artifacts and collections will be temporarily exhibited at the state museum’s other premises on Jalan Macalister. – March 21, 2018.