The Hong Kong Museum of Art is to close in August for a four-year HK$930m (US$120m, €109m, £78m) renovation, which will nearly double the amount of exhibition space available to the 53-year-old institute.

Scheduled to reopen in 2019, the museum’s main exhibition area will be expanded to 10,000sq m (107,600sq ft), with an additional three galleries also being developed, increasing the total number to 10. Hong Kong's Architectural Services Department is acting as lead architect for the redevelopment.

The re-christened Hong Kong Art Gallery – originally designed by Verner Johnson – will also have its ceiling height raised from between 3.5-4.5m (11.4-14.7ft) to between 5-9m (16.4-29.5ft). A new rooftop gallery will also be installed, while a new annex will house a further two galleries. Finally, the existing restaurant and gift shop will be moved to the building’s ground floor.

“The upgrade was needed because the current museum was built 24 years ago and failed to cater to modern exhibition needs,” said Chan Shing-wai, assistant director of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the Hong Kong Government, which manages the facility and is behind the plans. "In fact, we have had a pressing need to do so for some time."

"If we are to show art pieces from overseas, we usually need two to three exhibition galleries,” added museum director Eve Tam. “There is a pressing need for us to have more galleries so large-scale exhibitions can take place here."

During the closure, the museum’s 16,000 artworks – which have been mainly curated from Hong Kong and mainland China – will go on display in various places throughout Hong Kong, including the Central Library in Causeway Bay and the Heritage Discovery Centre in Kowloon Park.