The new M+ museum of modern and contemporary visual culture will open its permanent new home in the West Kowloon Cultural District of Hong Kong in the autumn of 2021. Designed by Herzog & de Meuron, the building is set to become a striking landmark on the waterfront of Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour. But even before the new building opened, M+ has been busy engaging with local and international audiences through a broad range of programmes and exhibitions and a strategic approach to collecting. The opening of M+’s new home is undoubtedly a milestone in the institution’s ongoing story, yet it also marks an important moment to reflect on its development to date.

The Making of M+ is an immersive visual encounter with the many stages of the museum’s evolution. H. G. Masters, the book’s guest editor, and Sulki & Min, its award-winning designers, present images and words relating to M+’s first three decades – starting with the reclamation of the land on which the M+ building stands. While the hundreds of images in the book document the programmes, collections, staff, audiences and architecture that have helped shape the museum, the texts have been carefully selected from key moments in the institution’s formation, encompassing official pronouncements, staff mantras, public reactions, and snippets from the local and international press. Offering a wide range of perspectives and voices, The Making of M+ is an innovative companion to the creation of a remarkable cultural institution – the first of its kind in Hong Kong and Asia.

With 360 illustrations in colour