Hamburger Kunsthalle

Today’s imaginary travel will explore something close to my heart: museums. And it is just fine that it is happening in my imagination, since some of these structures have not yet been finished. Like the new Polytechnic Museum in Moscow, for example, which is being built at the same time that the old one is being renovated. Stay tuned for reports in 2018 – maybe I’ll make it to Russia after all.

Here are images of the old one: http://www.eventcomm.com/work/polytechnic-museum-moscow

And here is the plan for the new one:

The $180 million centre will be built at the Sparrow Hills district of the Russian capital, close to Soviet-era monuments including Moscow State University and the Luzkniki Stadium, with copper clad surfaces supposed to look like “cut by the wind.”  Pretty amazing, don’t you agree?

Here is a science museum I photographed in Paris, and, as an aside, a montage from the Man at War series, that was based on the structure.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cité_des_Sciences_et_de_l%27Industrie

Then there’s this new planned museum for modern art in Catalonia, located in a working open cast mine; it’s first exhibit is opening this month in a converted factory building; the Fundació Sorigué plans to construct a building holding research facilities and over 450 works of contemporary art, to be completed around 2020.

Lots of time to plan that trip to Catalonia, should it not have blown up in an independence war by then. And planning IS required: since the museum is on a working industrial site  everyone needs to make an appointment to be granted access. Somehow they all think that the draw for Double Bind – the first exhibit here and last work of Juan Muoz who died in his 40s while being heralded Spain’s most important sculptor, will make the long pilgrimage to this outpost happen.

 

The link below describes the work, which is only shown for the third time since 2001, and will be on site for the next 5 years. I have seen this humongous installation when it was first exhibited at the Tate Modern, it is pretty mind boggling. Unfortunately it was years before I picked up photography.  As I said, start planning!

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/catalonia-juan-mu-oz-double-bind-turbine-hall-planta-project-balaguer-a8029471.html

Here is another museum that is based in a factory, the Hamburg Museum der Arbeit. Until March 2018 it shows an exhibit commemorating Karl Marx’ Das Kapital, looking at the history and current relevancy of this important work.

My final choice leads me to China. The Red Brick Art Museum is a folk-based, non-profit art museum showcasing Chinese and world art, which was founded by collectors Yan Shijie and Cao Mei, and opened in 2014. I was taken by the simplicity of this building, compared to the ooh and ahh effects of the two previous examples, in terms of architecture (Russia) and site (Spain.)

I’m also partial to brick buildings, given where I grew up…..

 

Dong Yugan uses brick to form sculptural surfaces and playful structures at Red Brick Art Museum

I’ll pair it with the brick-faced Hamburger Kunsthalle – my go to, when I need cheer….