NORFOLK, Virginia — The Chrysler Museum of Art has reopened after a massive $24 million renovation and expansion that caused the museum to close for nearly a year and a half.

The project included the total redesign and refurbishment of the museum’s 210,000-square-foot interior and the addition of two two-story wings flanking the front entrance.

The new wings added larger glass galleries, more space for the museum’s large collection of Impressionist and Baroque works and a new cafe.

The old cafe space was incorporated into a new series of first-floor galleries that include Egyptian, Greco-Roman, Meso-American, African and Asian works. Several small galleries were also combined to create a 100-foot-long gallery for large contemporary art works.

A major component of the renovation was replacement of outdated heating and cooling systems.

Although the museum’s front was pushed out 30 feet, the exterior of the Italianate-style structure that faces the Hague Inlet of the Elizabeth River, was not changed.

www.chrysler.org