Photo © Iwan Baan

Packed with over 35,000 pieces of art, the iconic Louvre Museum in Paris draws more than 8 million people per year, making it the most-visited museum in the world. The works are organized by distinct departments within the historic Palais du Louvre (it opened in 1793!), which doesn’t allow for much curatorial experimentation. To remedy this problem, and to boost its visitor numbers, the Louvre decided to open a satellite branch in Lens, an old coal-mining town in northern France. Designed by SANAA, Louvre-Lens has just been completed. Read more!

The complex contains an auditorium, offices, and restaurant, in addition to exhibition galleries, which will feature up to 500 works from the museum’s Paris homestead. The facility—a series of rectangular, glass-and-steel volumes—exhibits the lightness and transparency that SANAA is so renowned for. The Japanese firm likens the architecture to boats that have clustered together on a river. We look forward to seeing more images as they become available!

Rendering: SANAA

[via bd online]

by Molly Cotter

posted in Uncategorized

tagged france, gallery, Louvre, louvre lens, museum, sanaa

more articles by Molly Cotter