Private museums like the Menil Collection in Houston, the Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul de Vence or the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebaek have existed for a long time, but over the past decade, many more private museums have been founded all over the world. In Athens, Jakarta, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Milan and Paris, major collectors have built, or are planning to build, large new museums.
These projects are often greeted as generous initiatives that combine the presentation of an individual collection with innovative architecture, and offer contemporary art great visibility. Sometimes they are also seen as competitors for beleaguered public institutions, as both structures vie for funding and visitors. Given this current panorama of growing private initiatives, The Private Museum of the Future, published by the same editors of 2015's successful Museum of the Future, tackles this central issue in museology and contemporary society.