The Smithsonian Institution said on Tuesday that it was considering opening a new 40,000-square-foot exhibition space in London in 2021. The move, if it goes ahead, will be the first time in the Smithsonian’s 168-year history that it has opened a permanent exhibition space outside the United States.
The gallery would be part of a new cultural quarter planned for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in East London, where the 2012 Olympics took place.
In an interview, Albert G. Horvath, the Smithsonian’s acting secretary, said that the institution had been working to reach new audiences, and that the London site offered the chance to raise the organization’s profile internationally.
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Mr. Clough left his position at the end of last year, and Mr. Horvath is acting as the institution’s leader until the incoming secretary, David J. Skorton, takes up his position in July.
A version of this article appears in print on January 28, 2015, on page C3 of the New York edition with the headline: Smithsonian Considers Opening London Location . Order Reprints| Today’s Paper|Subscribe
