Portland Art Museum's grand reopening draws 40,000 visitors, celebrates major milestone
December 3, 2025 | In the PressThe Portland Art Museum's recent grand reopening has drawn nearly 40,000 visitors to downtown Portland, the highest the museum has seen in 25 years.
The grand opening week, which began on Nov. 20, saw almost 30,000 attendees during free admission days and preview events.
The following Thanksgiving holiday week attracted an additional 7,500 visitors to the newly expanded museum.
The highlight of the transformation is the Mark Rothko Pavilion, part of a $116 million investment aimed at revitalizing the museum and its surroundings.
The new entrance honors renowned American artist Mark Rothko, who emigrated from Russia and grew up in Portland, featuring a chronological display of his works.
Rothko's children partnered with the Portland Art Museum, loaning major paintings from their private collection.
Stephanie Parrish, the museum's director of learning, expressed her excitement. "Seeing thousands of people move through the new spaces with joy and curiosity was the highlight of opening weekend."
She added that it was meaningful to see community partners bring the museum to life through various activities and performances. "It felt like Portland showing up for its museum in the best possible way.”
The museum's reopening has garnered praise from national news outlets and social media users alike, with many hailing it as a world-class cultural destination. Recent articles in publications such as Forbes and Artnews have applauded the museum's transformation for its connectivity and improved art-viewing experience.
The expansion includes 100,000 square feet of new or renovated space, featuring a complete reinstallation of artwork, including 300 newly acquired pieces.
The project, fully funded at $116 million, is among the largest in Oregon's history, with an additional $30 million raised for the endowment from over 1,200 donors.
Dancers from Oregon Ballet Theatre perform in the Portland Art Museum’s new Mark Rothko Pavilion during the grand opening of PAM’s transformed campus. Artwork in foreground: Dale Chihuly, L'arbre rouge, 2001, glass. Collection of Portland Art Museum, Gift of Shirley Papé, © Dale Chihuly/Photo: Mario Gallucci
The grand reopening also marked the museum's return to a six-day-a-week schedule for the first time since March 2020.
As the only major art museum between Seattle and San Francisco, the Portland Art Museum continues to be a vital cultural and educational resource for the region.
