The exterior of the Portland Art Museum’s newest building, the Mark Rothko Pavilion, as seen on Aug. 25. 2025. The pavilion is scheduled to open on Nov. 20.
Eric Slade / OPB
The Portland Art Museum will soon debut more than 100,000 square feet of additional space, which includes the Rothko Pavilion.
The pavilion will provide a gap in the museum’s structure. For the past two decades, PAM has stood as two buildings: the Pietro Belluschi Building (which houses the main entrance) and the Mark Building. The new pavilion will connect the pair and open Nov. 20.
“So it’ll add a sense of connectivity, literally and figuratively. It will connect art from different periods and connect people to art,” Museum Director Brian Ferriso told OPB.
FILE – Design rendering of the Rothko Pavilion at dusk from Southwest Park Avenue at the Portland Art Museum, provided by PAM, in January 2023.
Hennebery Eddy Architects and Vinci Hamp Architects / Courtesy of Portland Art Museum
The end of the museum’s renovation will cap Ferriso’s tenure at PAM. He announced in August he will move to lead the Dallas Museum of Art starting Dec. 1. A successor for Ferriso has not been named.
As the name suggests, the new pavilion will feature major works by Mark Rothko.
Rothko, an acclaimed artist of the 20th century known for his vibrant abstract oil paintings, grew up in Portland.
OPB got a tour ahead of the pavilion’s public opening. Watch: