Two Robert Motherwell paintings, 26 Joseph Cornell assemblages, sculptures by Donald Judd and Sol LeWitt, prints by Richard Diebenkorn, Jasper Johns and Andy Warhol. These are just a few of the works in The Contemporary Museum's permanent collection, which languishes in storage.

And they're what the public has to look forward to, with the announcement last week that the city approved the museum's plan for expansion.

Museum director Georgiana Lagoria said that construction is tentatively slated to start early next year.

Museum additions are always scrutinized — architect Renzo Piano's expansion of the Morgan Library & Museum in New York is a recent successful example.

The California firm of Frederick Fisher and Partners will tackle the Contemporary's new exhibition space, education space, additional storage and parking. The museum's singular design and setting will be a challenge for a seamless yet innovative addition.

Aside from international art stars, the museum's collection also includes emerging artists and a large holding of Hawai'i artists from 1940 on, said Jay Jensen, the museum's associate director and chief curator.

The expansion "is great — I can't wait," he said. "We've been aiming for this for a long time."

Reach Lesa Griffith at lgriffith@honoluluadvertiser.com.