Poland Museum of Modern Art opens
Public buildingsThe inauguration of the new facility will be accompanied by numerous events. As part of the opening days from 25 October to 10 November, more than 100 free events will take place: performance events, concerts, lectures and the ‘Warsaw under Construction’ festival. The museum's publishing house and the cinema, which is open for the first time, will prepare their own proposals. The exhibition space will be inaugurated in February 2025, at which time the exhibitions in the galleries on the first and second floors of the building will open. The ground floor of the edifice is to be an open zone - a place for meetings, debates and education. The Museum of Modern Art (MSN) building has been designed as a space where it will be possible not only to view works of art, but also to participate in events.
This is a big day for Warsaw. First, because there hasn't been a place like this in the capital for decades. A place that would be created from scratch - precisely to present Polish art. A place that is spectacular in itself. Secondly, it is an absolutely historic and exceptional moment for the capital city of Warsaw, also because the MSN is part of the New Centre of Warsaw project. We are slowly, after decades, succeeding in disenchanting this part of the city and rebuilding it consistently. Thirdly, and this is extremely important, we will have a place of an absolutely world-class standard, serving the promotion of Polish culture, Polish modern art, which is of great interest.
Rafał Trzaskowski, the Mayor of the City of Warsaw
The museum will move its collection to its current location on ul. Marszałkowska from several other sites. The MSN's collection currently numbers more than 2,600 objects and is constantly growing. It is devoted to art created in Poland mainly after 1989 and internationally. The MSN's archival collection, known as the Artists‘ Archive, includes, for example, publications, photographic documentation, artists’ texts, letters and private documents, as well as official letters revealing the everyday life of artists such as Zofia Rydet, Alina Szapoczniokow, Wojciech Fangor, Eustachy Krasiński and Tadeusz Rolke.
The Museum of Modern Art building is the work of the American architect Thomas Phifer, a student of the renowned modernist Richard Meier. The MSN is the first building designed by Thomas Phifer in Europe. The MSN building has a simple form built on the plan of two rectangles. It consists of six storeys - four above ground and two below ground with a total area of nearly 20,000 sqm, of which 4,500 sqm are exhibition spaces.
For me, as an architect, it is an extraordinary feeling when I look at this edifice. It is beautifully made of concrete, wood and stainless steel, and everything here has been created by local craftsmen. Knowing how much this edifice means to Warsaw and Poland is a source of pride for me.
Thomas Phifer, architect
Exhibitions will be displayed in four galleries located on the first and second floors. The two top galleries will be illuminated by natural light diffused through skylights arranged on the roof. The lower galleries will provide safe exposure for works requiring more stringent lighting conditions. The floors also contain rooms for relaxation, casual conversation or educational activities. On the ground floor there is a fully glazed foyer, an auditorium, an educational and lecture space, a temporary exhibition gallery, a shop and a café.
On the first subterranean storey, a cinema with an auditorium seating 150 people, an educational space, conservation studios, storage and technical rooms have been designed. The second floor, on the other hand, is planned to house the storage and conservation of works of art and other technical rooms. The space in front of the museum has been planned as a forum - a place for cultural activities, a link between Central Square and Świętokrzyski Park.
The MSN is the first building in Poland and the largest in Europe with a suspended concrete façade. The general contractor for the investment is Warbud.
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