A major transformation is on the horizon for Monaco’s national museum network, with plans confirmed for the restoration and expansion of Villa Sauber as part of an ambitious cultural redevelopment led by the Monegasque government.
The project, designed by renowned architect Renzo Piano and his Renzo Piano Building Workshop studio, will dramatically reshape the future of the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco. Works are scheduled to run from September 2026 until September 2029.
Once completed, the museum site will expand from roughly 600 square metres to more than 4,000 square metres, allowing the institution to significantly broaden both its permanent collection displays and its temporary exhibition programme. Officials say the redevelopment is intended to position Monaco more prominently on the international cultural stage while modernising facilities to meet the museum’s evolving role.
The revamped Villa Sauber will extend beyond traditional exhibition space. Plans include the creation of an auditorium, educational workshops, a public library, landscaped gardens and a café, with the aim of turning the site into a year-round cultural meeting place rather than simply a gallery venue.
Particular attention is being given to the gardens surrounding the villa, which are set to become a central feature of the redesign. The outdoor areas will include stone courtyards, rose gardens, jasmine-lined walkways and an orangery, while exotic trees will be planted to create a natural buffer from the surrounding urban landscape.
Ahead of construction beginning later next year, Monaco’s urban planning department has already started relocating existing vegetation from the current gardens. Several citrus trees have been replanted along avenue Princesse Grace and within the gardens of the Fairmont Monte Carlo.
Accessibility improvements also form part of the redevelopment, with upgraded pedestrian routes planned between avenue Princesse Grace and boulevard du Larvotto. Public access through the area is expected to remain open throughout most of the construction period, aside from a handful of temporary closures.
The wider overhaul of Monaco’s museum infrastructure will continue beyond Villa Sauber itself. From 2028, the national museum’s reserves and archives are due to be transferred beneath the new Mareterra district, ensuring Monaco’s cultural collections remain preserved within the Principality for the long term.