This is the year of the cultural face-lift.

From the completion of the $29 million Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum exterior restoration to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s $156 million expansion, the world’s most prestigious institutions are having work done.

Typically, museum restorations are made possible by a combination of donations, trusts, endowments and government funds drawn from state and local taxes. One would assume that during an economic downswing the last thing on a city official’s mind would be refurbishing the local museum. However, that’s exactly what’s happening, everywhere from Perth, Australia, to Honolulu. » Read more: World’s Must-See Museum Makeovers