Balloon Museum will open its flagship location at the Tin Building on July 15, 2026.
Courtesy of Balloon Museum
The Balloon Museum is floating toward opening its first permanent U.S. venue in New York City.
Scheduled to open on July 15, within Lower Manhattan’s Seaport district, this flagship location will occupy the former Tin Building by Jean-Georges, a major food hall and culinary emporium that closed in February 2026.
Created by Lux Entertainment, the Balloon Museum provides an unusual way to experience inflatable art through large-scale exhibitions, experimental design and site-specific works. Launched in Italy in 2021, by Lux Entertainment, the Balloon museum originated as a traveling immersive exhibition that was on view across destinations within Europe, North America and Asia.
In October 2023, the museum presented a New York pop-up at Pier 36 that ran into the following January.
At Balloon Museum, “Snowy/Windy/Spring on Planet Z” by artist Marina Abramović will feature an extraterrestrial meadow of inflatable grass and swirling artificial snow.
Courtesy of Balloon Museum Balloon Museum In New York City
“New York is one of the world’s most influential centers of cultural innovation, so opening our first permanent U.S. flagship here is a major milestone for us,” said Roberto Fantauzzi, founder and CEO at Lux Entertainment.
Fantauzzi also noted that the Tin Building felt like a natural home for the Balloon Museum, citing the building’s longstanding history with New York City.
This Lower Manhattan building within The Seaport, a waterfront district near the East River, had also been the location of the Fulton Fish Market, a longtime city wholesale market.
The Seaport’s history also reflects its legacy as a major harbor area. The district has evolved into a retail, dining and tourism destination complemented by restored 19th-century buildings and cobblestone streets.
“That context aligns beautifully with the Balloon Museum’s vision,” added Fantauzzi. “Our work is rooted in transformation—air becoming art, space becoming experience—and visitors moving through environments that shift their perspective.”
At its location in New York City, Balloon Museum will feature works such as Alex Schweder’s “OUR BREATH, HER JOY.”
Courtesy of Balloon MuseumBalloon Museum Expands Inflatable Art
The Balloon Museum will occupy the Tin Building’s multi-level space. This setup will provide the museum’s staff with the flexibility to present large-scale installations, interactive environments, and future programming.
Overall, the focus of the Balloon Museum is about exploring air and inflatables in contemporary art. Its name speaks to that focus.
“Balloons and inflatables are among the most recognizable ways we give shape to air, and they became the starting point for a much larger artistic exploration,” explained Fantauzzi. “Through the work of international artists, air becomes volume, movement, architecture, light, play, and emotion.”
The Balloon Museum will make its NYC debut with the inaugural exhibit, “DAYDREAM, AIR BECOMES ART.” This exhibition brings together works by a group of international artists who are each using air, light, sound, color, reflection, and volume in very different ways.
An a January 2023, “Balloon Museum – Pop Air” exhibition at Superstudio Più in Milan, a person poses for a picture while standing under a cloud made of white balloons. This traveling exhibition now has a flagship location in New York City.
Getty ImagesBalloon Museum Is Flying With Upcoming Plans
Balloon Museum will also introduce a major permanent installation by Serbian conceptual artist and performer, Marina Abramović. Titled “Snowy/Windy/Spring on Planet Z,” this new installation will place visitors in an extraterrestrial meadow of inflatable grass and swirling artificial snow.
Upcoming plans for the Balloon Museum also extend to rotating exhibitions, new artist commissions, site-specific works and public programming.
“Some installations may remain on view for extended periods, but our goal is to keep the museum dynamic, so people have a reason to return,” said Fantauzzi.
The Balloon Museum is located at 96 South St. in Lower Manhattan. For admission prices, museum hours and other information, visit the museum’s website.