A special ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the long-awaited grand re-opening of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum was held Tuesday, the culmination of a $230 million capital campaign, the largest such campaign for a cultural institution in the history of Western New York, and three-and-half years of construction.

The museum, formerly known as the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, closed in November 2019.

“The trifecta of our internationally recognized art collection, our soon-to-be world-renowned architectural campus, and the many special individuals who commit to this institution as staff, volunteers, supporters, and visitors alike, combine to create a museum that any place in the world would be proud to call its hometown art museum,” said Alice Jacobs, board president of the Buffalo AKG. “We are grateful to the generations of past philanthropists who created and sustained the Albright-Knox Art Gallery for more than 161 years. Today, in becoming the Buffalo AKG, we welcome many new philanthropists who are committed to the idea that museums are much more that art on the walls. While Buffalo as a place of culture and creativity may have been a well-kept secret for a long time, after today the word will definitely be out.”

The big addition is the Jeffrey E. Gundlach Building. It's named after the Buffalo native who gave $65 million toward the expansion. The new Buffalo AKG comprises more than 50,000 square feet of prime exhibition space, five state-of-the-art studio classrooms, the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Town Square, and more than half an acre of new public green space situated above an underground parking garage.

"Buffalo being dismissed, disregarded, for most of our lifetimes is because Buffalo hasn't flexed any muscle for most of our lifetimes. Because Buffalo didn't have much muscle to flex. Not anymore," Gundlach said.

The museum is currently open for members and other special guests. Then on Thursday, it opens to the general public. Admission is free through Sunday.

“The breathtaking Buffalo AKG Art Museum is one of the world's finest instutions for modern and contemporary art -- showcasing the economic and cultural renaissance Western New York has experienced in recent years,” said Gov. Kathy Hochul. “Buffalo is very fortunate to have a world-renowned art museum with a reputation that has grown to even greater prominence as it expands its campus and collection of works. The new building and campus are a dramatic work of art that will attract visitors and support the regional tourism economy for decades to come.”  

To plan your visit, learn more about the Buffalo AKG and its offerings, and purchase admission tickets, please visit buffaloakg.org/visit.