The incident occurred at the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen where the painting was displayed as part of the exhibition Lievelingen With the museum's main building closed for renovations until 2030 seventy of the collection’s most popular pieces ranging from Pieter Bruegel to Salvador Dalí 8) has suffered damage: a number of visible scratches in the unvarnished paint layer is one of only two Rothko paintings in the Netherlands and is among the museum’s most valuable pieces is known for large abstract paintings with "floating color fields." ArtDependence Magazine is an international magazine covering all spheres of contemporary art ArtDependence features the latest art news highlighting interviews with today’s most influential artists fair directors and individuals at the axis of the arts The magazine also covers series of articles and reviews on critical art events new publications and other foremost happenings in the art world If you would like to submit events or editorial content to ArtDependence Magazine, please feel free to reach the magazine via the contact page timeless work of Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) is coming to Québec at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec and virtuosity displayed by the works of the artist who revolutionized the art of engraving in an exhibition encompassing 80 rare etchings from a renowned Dutch collection in an unforgettable intimate experience. Works from the collections of the MNBAQ will echo the engravings by Rembrandt innovative artist whose powerful influence has withstood the test of time The exhibition has been made possible by an exceptional loan from the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam Musée national des beaux-arts du QuébecGrand Hall of the Pierre Lassonde Pavilion179 Linda Tremblay, Head of Media Relations Linda.tremblay@mnbaq.org 418 262-4681 Interviews are possible at the conclusion of the press visit with: MNBAQ Sandra TATSAKIS, Director Touring Exhibitions Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen Peter VAN DER COELEN, Curator of Prints and Drawings Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen André GILBERT View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2024/22/c2506.html Newsfeed Subscription RSS Feed Newsfeed Subscription RSS Feed An abstract painting by renowned American artist Mark Rothko has been damaged by a child visiting the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam The incident occurred during what the museum described as an “unguarded moment,” raising renewed concerns about the safety of artwork and visitor conduct in public galleries sustained “superficial damage” after a young visitor touched the lower section of the canvas The museum said the damage includes “small scratches,” but no further visual evidence or photos of the affected area have been released A spokesperson for the museum stated that conservation experts have already been consulted both in the Netherlands and abroad “We are currently researching the next steps for the treatment of the painting We expect that the work will be able to be shown again in the future” the museum said in an official statement Though the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen has not confirmed the painting’s estimated value Dutch media reported that the Mark Rothko piece Grey 8 could be worth up to €50 million (£42.5 million) Rothko’s works are highly sought-after in the art market Yellow sold for $86.9 million (£53.8 million) at Christie’s in New York in 2012 while another was sold months later for $75.1 million (£47.3 million) This latest incident adds to a growing list of high-profile cases involving damage to major artworks either through accidents or deliberate acts This is not the first time the Rotterdam museum has had to deal with visitor-related damage a visitor accidentally stepped on Peanut Butter Platform The 14-meter-long carpet of peanut butter had to be restored and the museum reportedly asked the responsible individual to cover the costs “It is normal procedure for people to pay if they damage art,” a spokesperson said at the time Mark Rothko’s works have also been targeted before part of a series initially created for New York’s Seagram Building was vandalised at the Tate Modern in London Polish artist Wlodzimierz Umaniec defaced the painting in the name of his so-called Yellowist movement and was later sentenced to two years in prison A post shared by Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen (@boijmans) As museums struggle to protect their collections from both accidents and activism, institutions are tightening security protocols. In October 2024, the National Gallery in London banned all liquids after a wave of protest-related attacks on famous artworks, including Van Gogh’s Sunflowers and Constable’s The Hay Wain. “Unfortunately, we have now reached a point where we have been forced to act to protect our visitors, staff and collection,” the gallery said at the time. The Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen has not indicated whether new protective measures will be introduced following the Mark Rothko incident. Still, the event is likely to reignite debates about how accessible priceless art should be, especially to young or unsupervised visitors. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. IndependentLightDark{"modes":[{"id":"light","name":"Light","value":"#ffffff"},{"id":"dark","name":"Dark","value":"#000000"}]}Menu{"children":"Menu"}Thank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in Art handlers from Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen install Rothko's Grey, Orange on Maroon, No.8 thought to be worth tens of millions of dollars has been removed from display in a Dutch museum after it was damaged by a visiting child Conservators will now have to repair the artwork, Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8 after it was "scratched" by a child visiting the Rotterdam gallery where it was on display which measures 229cm high by 258.5cm wide with a depth of 4.7cm was a centrepiece of the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam - though it had been temporarily on display at the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen as the museum is currently closed for a large-scale renovation The museum confirmed the incident in a statement emailed to CNN 8 by Mark Rothko has sustained superficial damage after a child touched the painting when it was on display small scratches are visible in the unvarnished paint layer in the lower part of the painting "Conservation expertise has been sought in the Netherlands and abroad We are currently researching the next steps for the treatment of the painting We expect that the work will be able to be shown again in the future." The museum declined to say how much the painting is worth nor how much the damage might cost to repair - or who might be expected to foot the bill In response to a question about the painting's value on its website the museum said the piece was bought in the 1970s for an undisclosed amount It went on to explain: "An appraiser from an international auction house would be involved in a sale of an artist as famous as Rothko The price is then very dependent on the condition was best known for his "colour field" paintings His works regularly fetch millions of dollars at auction 1968 sold for US$23.9 million ($40.2m) at Sotheby's in New York Museums and galleries are usually eager to promote visits from families with young children in the hope of fostering an early interest in the arts Many have programmes and workshops aimed at young visitors and actively encourage them - but children can writer and creator of the popular maxwell museums newsletter told CNN: "Every museum and gallery thinks hard about how to balance meaningful physical access to artworks and objects with keeping them safe I'd say most have the balance right but accidents can still happen It's impossible to prevent every potential incident Thankfully things like this are very rare compared to the millions of visits taking place everyday." A Mark Rothko painting vandalised at a London gallery 18 months ago is back on public view after a huge effort to remove graffiti ink without damaging the layers of paintwork A work by artist Mark Rothko at the Tate Modern has been defaced with a small amount of black paint The brazen theft in 1911 shocked both the public and the art world Mecanoo’s plan for a much-needed renovation of the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam has been given the go-ahead by the city’s mayor and alderman for their design which will author a "new chapter" in its 175-year history and be delivered by the end of 2029 Aspects of the work will include creating a new entrance improving logistics and circulation for the museum A modern intervention will be added to connect all three structures after the Robbrecht en Daem wing is demolished Fire safety and sustainability will be prioritized throughout; and a new connection to the museum's Park will be made by repurposing the Henket Pavilion into a restaurant for museum visitors Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site Your comment will be visible once approved The Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, Netherlands, was awarded €80 million ($85 million) by the Droom en Daad Foundation in support of the museum’s renovation and refurbishment, NL Times reports the museum has secured €112 million ($120 million) in donations and commitments for its rehabilitation project is also planning to infuse the renovations with an additional €23 million ($24 million) on top of more than €200 million ($215 million) it previously pledged The Droom en Daad Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Van der Vorm family, which controls Holland-America Line and HAL Investments (Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons/Davidh820) While benefits of volunteering have been well documented, less than 1 percent of total giving went directly to volunteer engagement between 2016 and 2025, a report from Points of Light finds Where should nonprofits focus resources dedicated to volunteers select any of the newsletters listed below Please report it so we can improve the news we bring you and more delivered to your inbox with Philanthropy News Digest newsletters Candid gets you the information you need to do good A child severely damaged one of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen’s most valuable paintings this spring during an unsupervised moment, the museum confirmed. The artwork, Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8 by American artist Mark Rothko, is estimated to be worth between 40 and 50 million euros, according to AD. where the painting was on display as part of the exhibition Lievelingen With the museum's main building closed for renovations until at least 2030 The damaged painting previously held a prominent place in the 2021 exhibition Rothko en ik at the Stedelijk Museum Schiedam visitors were allowed to spend ten minutes alone with the artwork in a sealed room Some visitors were reportedly moved to tears the situation turned when the child escaped attention The museum has not yet determined how the painting will be restored what the next steps for treatment are," the museum stated "We expect the work can be displayed again in the future." The damage is located on the section where the canvas is stretched around the frame The artwork's value underscores the seriousness of the incident Dutch art collector Bert Kreuk estimated that Grey 8 would fetch between 40 and 50 million euros if sold "A Rothko with three colors is always worth more than a Rothko with two colors," Kreuk said to AD at the time Kreuk explained that the surge in prices for modern art is fueled by wealthy buyers from Russia A painting that fits above the sofa in their modern living rooms," he said The museum has not disclosed how much the repair might cost or who will pay for it museums hold visitors financially responsible for damage claiming costs through the individual's insurance the identity of the child and the parents is known This is not the first time Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen has dealt with visitor accidents several incidents occurred involving Wim T a 4-by-14 meter artwork made of a thick layer of peanut butter unsuspecting visitors stepped onto the sticky surface dirtying their shoes and receiving bills for the plastering needed to restore the artwork to its original smooth condition The Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam has used a mixture of resilience creativity and thinking outside the box to come up with an art experience that is not only beautiful and exciting but takes the idea of social distancing to a brand new level The famous event venue Ahoy Rotterdam joins forces with Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum for a special kind of exhibition with over 10.000 square metres of exhibition space for this fascinating installation Over 750 cars can be admitted to the exhibit per day making it a highly unusual visual experience Ahoy has provided the venue - almost the size of two football pitches while the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum have kitted the place out for this revolutionary art event Cars drive around hall 1 at a walking pace where viewers are introduced to more than 40 works consisting of pieces from the permanent museum collection along with contemporary art installations Do you drive an electric car just bring your driver's license - there are electric cars available that you can rent on site for going inside to view the art Museums in the Netherlands have been coming up with novel ways to deal with bringing art to the public in these challenging times director of the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum declared: "We longed for this event that offers action with excitement and amazement guaranteed." Browse the Ahoy Rotterdam website (in English) or the Boijmans van Beuningen Museum website (in Dutch) for more information Catherine van Beuningen created professor by special appointment of Global Citizenship and Bilingual Education Van Beuningen explains why this research is so important: ‘In today’s society we’re increasingly interacting with people from different backgrounds and cultures It’s important for children and young people to learn to understand others and to be understood by others themselves skills and attitudes that broaden their horizons One of the central questions in her research as a professor is how schools can make global citizenship part of their teaching effectively Van Beuningen stresses the importance of connecting different subjects ‘It is precisely by creating cohesion between school subjects that we can make students better understand how complicated the world is.’ Besides her appointment as a professor at the University of Amsterdam Van Beuningen is also a lecturer at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences allowing her to combine the knowledge and expertise of both institutions ‘I look forward to working with colleagues and students from both the UvA and the AUAS This combined position offers a unique opportunity to leverage the strengths of both institutions.’ Van Beuningen will work closely with schools to formulate research questions that are directly relevant to teaching practice ‘Topics such as diversity and social justice are given explicit attention in global citizenship teaching A key question is how this attention can contribute positively to inclusion and equal opportunities,’ she explains Van Beuningen also hopes to contribute to national curriculum innovations ‘We want to find out how to combine the new goals for citizenship and language teaching in such a way that it is meaningful and workable for teachers and learners.’ Catherine van Beuningen studied General Linguistics at Utrecht University and obtained her doctorate from the University of Amsterdam in 2011 for a study on the effect of feedback on multilingual learners’ written language skills During and after the pursuit of her doctorate Van Beuningen worked as an assistant professor and as a lecturer and postgraduate researcher at the UvA She has been with the Faculty of Education at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences since 2013 first as a senior lecturer and researcher of Language Teaching and Multilingualism and since October 2023 as a professor of Language Development and Multilingualism Her research interests include multilingual language didactics multilingual assessment and dealing with language diversity in educational and parenting fields Nuffic is the Dutch organisation for internationalisation in education Nuffic cooperates with the Ministry of Education the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Commission Its ambition is for all pupils and students to gain international competences the labour market of the future and the global challenges of our time On the 5th of November 2021, His Majesty the King of the Netherlands inaugurated the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen — the world’s first publicly accessible art storage facility capturing our bodies both as individuals and as a group on the reflective surface of its round-shaped glass-cladding facade The Depot was designed to display all that any other regular museum would keep in storage All 151,000 objects are made transparent under one roof next to the museum building that is undergoing renovation Designed by MVRDV for a total budget of € 94,000,000 ($100,247,710.00) the goal was to design an inviting public storage space that welcomes everyone to appreciate the art collection The building is 100% accessible both physically as well as visually and together with displaying an otherwise hidden collection it educates the public on the art of storing The environmental features of this project are displayed in the surrounding landscape and on the rooftop: the birches and pines placed on the roof help to retain water promote biodiversity and reduce heat stress in the city We toured the building with Rico van de Gevel we biked to Group for Architecture (GroupA) located on M4h It was nice reconnecting with my very first employer in Rotterdam from many years ago In 2019 this group of enlightened and like-minded entrepreneurs acquired the building and turned it into an activity-based building This endeavor addresses the first step towards achieving the city of Rotterdam’s vision of a lively and working-oriented area with space for creative and innovative businesses leading toward a sustainable future This concept perfectly fits into GroupA Carbon Lab — their think tank studio whose mission is to investigate how our field can reduce the CO2 footprint of projects from design to construction The goal is not to design and build carbon-neutral buildings but to challenge our profession to conceive and build climate-positive projects sustaining and empowering societies is a renowned office for urban design and landscape architecture based in Rotterdam one of those bright minds occupying Keilepand Dirk graciously took us for a walk and showed us what they are doing on-site. Dirk pointed to the creation of the 1 to 1 prototype Sponge Garden which was made possible by the large property his office occupies This Garden was built to test new concepts for collecting and returning rainwater to the natural environment Dirk expanded the concept to the city (Sponge City) urban areas with abundant natural milieus such as trees and parks intended to absorb rain and prevent flooding. Furthermore water retention is kept on-site through “Cascading” hence the act of keeping water as local as possible and using gravity to redistribute collected water instead of electricity Dirk reiterated the office’s principle of operating locally on every intervention he brought us to one of his current largest projects in Rotterdam The Keilehaven Tidal Park will be a future haven in the natural estuary system of Rotterdam De Urbanisten intends to create a park that stands at the intersection of cultural and social emergencies (immigration …) and natural spontaneous processes. We ended our 6th day in Rotterdam with Zico Lopez and Carla Costa from Spatial Codes in Bospolder/Tussendijken (BoTu) BoTu is a marginalized neighborhood of Rotterdam. Although it was difficult for the Baltimorean in the group to understand the stresses of the area for the Netherlands the area is suffering inequalities related to income Spatial Codes are the front-runner of such transformation Zico (Owner and Principal Architect) grew up in the area and He believes this side of town can become a vibrant and resilient neighborhood by strengthening the community Zico’s vision for this community is to trust the people because only the residents and their informal networks can lead the transformation. Unfortunately institutions have failed this community and sustainable neighborhood improvements can only occur through the empowerment of people who are truly invested in the area Day 1 – UNStudio Visit Day 2 – Black Heritage Tour Day 3 – Amsterdam Walking Tour Day 4 – Delft-Rotterdam – Back Down Memory Lane Day 5 – Architecture Evolving Day 7 – Office for Metropolitan Architecture Day 8 – Time to Say Goodbye Office of Public Relations & Strategic Communications1700 East Cold Spring LaneMcMechen Hall Rm pr@morgan.edu A Carnegie "High Research" University Gantner Ticketing, a provider of software for museums, zoos, cultural heritage and visitor attractions is assisting a cultural venue in Rotterdam to easily offer visitors practical insights into the behind-the-scenes workings of the museum’s activities Museums and galleries usually only display a percentage of their collections with the rest hidden in warehouses or research areas that are inaccessible to the public Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen bucks this trend by transforming its archive building into a publicly accessible art depot in a unique concept that opened to guests last year The Depot is found in Rotterdam’s Museumpark Home to a range of private and corporate collections the iconic building features fourteen climate-controlled compartments with over 150,000 artworks It is of utmost importance to keep rooms’ humidity and temperature stable to preserve the artefacts Gantner now enables visitors to access the depot seamlessly with the ease and safety of its integrated online ticketing system and printable tickets for device-free access Head of marketing and communication Daniël Bouw says: “Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen has until now worked with time slots. That is a system we installed in COVID times but time slots and capacity management also seemed useful to us after the pandemic to guide flows of visitors in a practical way through the depot’s specific layout.” The Depot is suitable for group bookings, with an educational offer currently in the works. The organisation can now also easily manage rates and discounts, a crucial feature when approximately 85% of visitors use discount cards or passes. At the Depot entrance employees can quickly scan the tickets for access control and use Gantner’s cash register solutions for on-site F&B and retail assorted climate conditions in various art compartments means access has to be limited in time and visitor number required a controlled approach to visitor flows using time slots that could easily be booked online ICT manager Peter de Jonge says: “During the COVID period and associated mandatory closures That is quite time-consuming and therefore we could not possibly do it properly ourselves we want to evolve towards a fully digital ticketing environment because not all target groups are immediately on board with the digital story we also regularly receive questions about our functioning as a museum repository the GANTNER managed e-commerce service is an ideal partner.” was already using an external partner for online ticket sales Boijmans Van Beuningen wanted to bring the sales function back in-house Peter de Jonge continues: “Thanks to Gantner’s solutions we have more control over our ticket sales and can better optimise our operating costs Now that we manage everything ourselves with Gantner solutions “The strength of Gantner lies in its multiple solutions: online ticket sales operation of shops and restaurants; everything is taken care of in the same software system and it is easy to control and manage.” Having a helpdesk at hand is a key attribute for a great customer experience Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen opted to use Gantner’s helpdesk support services meaning it is available to assist prospective visitors but does not have to deal with the logistics of having its own support team it is Gantner that provides an experienced team of helpdesk professionals assisting with rebookings guests can also be assisted by email or chatbot Bouw says: “We are very satisfied with the solutions from Gantner Even with the limited number of people in our team and that translates into happy visitors.” Last year, Gantner Ticketing launched Enviso, the firm’s new cloud-based ticketing and integrated payment solution for attractions and cultural venues Photos: Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen/Ossip van Duivenbode Get the latest attractions industry  news direct to your inbox Blooloop is taking climate action and is now B Corp Certified This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page “The point of the Depot is to grow over time; it is also about compartmentalization, a prominent characteristic of our time,” says Winy Maas, principal of MVRDV. “There are limitless possibilities through these objects on view and through these spaces, from the intimate to the grand.” As if entering a futuristic spaceship, panels of the mirrored façade open to allow visitors into the six-story Depot’s stark, well-lit concrete interior, where a reception desk, toilets, shop and locker storage on the first floor leads to an impressive atrium with a labyrinth of transparent walkways and stairs. Art objects of every medium are exhibited on walls, floors and in stairwells as if suspended in space. Sign up to our newsletter for the latest arts and culture updates Tickets are now on sale for the world’s first fully accessible museum-meets art storage facility Most museums only show a tiny percentage of their collections to the public – usually in the region of six or seven percent. The vast majority languishes off-site and out of view. This new museum collection in Rotterdam has turned that on its head There will be no exhibitions: instead all the artefacts – around 151,000 of them – will be available for viewing Visitors are able to access 99 percent of the new building and also the entire collection of neighbouring Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in a clever museum-meets-art storage twist Visitors not only get to view the entire collection they can also go behind the scenes to see how a collection of this size is preserved and managed The objects are housed in fourteen storage compartments with five different climates “I want to let the public see what it means to take care of a collection,” says Sandra Kisters The collection includes items from all over the world from 1400 to the present day “We are convinced that making the collection accessible shows how much we care and how well we take care of it,” said Sjarel Ex and Ina Klaassen “This is something that the inhabitants of Rotterdam will be proud of; something that they want to see with their own eyes because they partly own this enormous artistic treasure.” The new Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen has been designed by architects MVRDV and built by BAM Bouw en Techniek It employs sophisticated engineering to allow the lower levels of the building to withstand the heavy load from higher levels The six-storey monolithic bowl-shaped structure is covered by 1,664 mirrored panels reflecting the greenery of the surrounding park The atrium features crisscrossing staircases with suspended glass cases Visitors then progress through to exhibition rooms and curators’ studios – in a unique behind the scenes experience An architectural garden tops the building including 75 birch trees giving stunning views over the parkland to the city snacks and meals throughout and after opening time (entrance is free after 6pm) The Depot opens on Saturday 6 th November 2021 It is located next to Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in the Museumpark in Rotterdam London’s Victoria and Albert Museum is also focusing on how to use collections to the max. Plans for the V&A East project not only include a new five-storey museum to be located in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford It will be home to 250,000 objects stored in a way to make them more accessible to the public The Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen has secured 112 million euros in donations and commitments to help the Rotterdam museum complete an extensive renovation and refurbishment which started in 2019 The money includes a commitment of up to 80 million euros from the Droom en Daad Foundation the philanthropic organization representing the billionaire Van der Vorm family behind the Holland-America Line and HAL Investments and its political leadership said on Friday that it wants to invest another 23 million euros on top of over 200 million euros it previously pledged to tackle the renovation and asbestos removal The additional nine million euros was provided by a collection of other donors and political leaders presented revised plans for the project on Friday It will include a sunken entrance on the Museumpark courtyard the coniued renovation of the Hannemazaal space the renovation of the façade of the Bodon wing and improved access for trucks thanks to a new loading dock The total costs are now expected to hit 359 million euros The renovation work was initially estimated to cost about 180 million euros but it was already clear by the end of 2021 that it would cost at least 43 million euros more the city boosted its own commitment to the project to nearly 200 million euros Rotterdam Alderman Maarten Struijvenberg announced a year ago that the revision was on hold due to the skyrocketing renovation costs The city’s coalition including the mayor and alderman had to submit there plans to City Council by the end of the month Struijvenberg has provided a worst-case scenario to City Council which calls for a further increase of 100 million euros The full City Council will debate the matter after the summer including 15 million euros needed to pay for earlier design plans which have since been scrapped The renovation work could be finished in 2029 The museum itself would then open the following year The museum could be asked to pay more rent for use of the building The gift from the Droom en Daad Foundation was badly needed to move the project forward “We as a city should consider ourselves fortunate with this.” a gorgeous 40-metre-tall mirrored flowerpot that is set to become Rotterdam’s signature building had its origins in an extremely Dutch emergency The basement that held the museum’s undisplayed art—151,000 objects among the Netherlands’ most important collections—was six metres below sea level The city had constructed a garage under an adjacent park which interfered with drainage could have built a storage facility in a suburb but wanted a way to keep the trove on site This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “The mixing pot” Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents Her wit and style, brought to life by these directors, make for a most enjoyable evening in Ryan Coogler’s hit film is a riff on the uses and abuses of genre Two books trace the extraordinary rise and rapid fall of Yevgeny Prigozhin Robert Macfarlane and James Scott seek to understand the ways of water The greatest civilisations of the past 3,000 years were the opposite of MAGA on saturday, november 6th 2021, the world’s first publicly accessible art depot opened its doors to the public in rotterdam. the mirrored, bowl-shaped building designed by MVRDV houses a collection of 151,000 artworks that took 172 years to collect the seven storey depot is situated next to museum boijmans van beuningen in rotterdam’s museumpark MVRDV’s founding partner winy maas said ahead of the opening,‘our ambition was to give the museumpark a new dimension into contact with the boijmans collection in an innovative way we hope to have added a new work of art to rotterdam’s already rich architecture collection.’ the depot’s atrium with crisscrossing staircases and glass display cases images © ossip van duivenbode (unless stated otherwise) which curves upwards with a 10-meter overhang was designed by MVRDV to achieve a small footprint 6,609 sqm of glass subdivided into 1,664 mirrored panels clad the façade in a reflective skin while a rooftop forest and cross-shaped restaurant top the 39.5-meter tall building. a soaring 40-meter-tall atrium with crisscrossing staircases takes center stage the atrium is filled with artwork in floating display cases which have been created by artist marieke van diemen boijmans has also collaborated with artist and architect john körmeling who designed the entrance hall lighting and interiors on the ground floor visual artist pipilotti rist created a colorful light installation to illuminate the exterior of the building at night artist marieke van diemen designed the floating display cases depot boijmans van beuningen offers art lovers the chance to glimpse behind the scenes and take a look inside four restoration studios that are on open view the program also contains a storage compartment and 1,900 sqm of space that can be rented out for private and corporate collections ‘untitled (manhole)’ by maurizio cattelan image © aad hoogendoorn and once visitors have browsed through the immense collection they can head to the rooftop restaurant ‘renilde’ or take a walk around the rooftop forest and enjoy views over the city. ‘the depot is a building that makes many people happy; skaters have their own place outside that will hopefully stay while passersby try to figure out the best place to stand to take a good selfie I hope that visitors will soon enjoy the interior and the experience of being in direct contact with the art without the mediation of a curator,’ continued maas see designboom’s previous coverage of depot boijmans van beuningen here and here. artworks range from the 13th century to present day pipilotti rist created the colorful light installation outside name: depot boijmans van beuningen client: museum boijmans van beuningen size and program: 15,000sqm – accessible storage facility for art and design architecture: MVRDV competition team: sanne van der burgh strategy & development: jan knikker irene start visualization: antonio luca coco carlo cattó copyright: MVRDV 2021 – (winy maas partners: contractor: BAM bouw en techniek AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries in Rotterdam The practice engages globally in providing solutions to contemporary architectural and urban issues research-based design method involves clients stakeholders and experts from a wide range of fields from early on in the creative process which enable our cities and landscapes to develop towards a better future.The products of MVRDV’s unique approach to design vary ranging from buildings of all types and sizes Built projects include the Netherlands Pavilion for the World EXPO 2000 in Hannover; the Market Hall a combination of housing and retail in Rotterdam; the Pushed Slab a sustainable office building in Paris’ first eco-district; Flight Forum an innovative business park in Eindhoven; the Silodam Housing complex in Amsterdam; the Matsudai Cultural Centre in Japan; the Unterföhring office campus near Munich; the Lloyd Hotel in Amsterdam; the Ypenburg housing and urban plan in The Hague; the Didden Village rooftop housing extension in Rotterdam; the music centre De Effenaar in Eindhoven; the Gyre boutique shopping center in Tokyo; a public library in Spijkenisse; an international bank headquarters in Oslo Norway; and the iconic Mirador and Celosia housing in Madrid.Current projects include a variety of housing projects in the Netherlands and other countries; a community centre in Copenhagen and a cultural complex in Roskilde the transformation of a mixed use building in central Paris and the renovation of an office building in Hong Kong MVRDV is also working on large scale urban masterplans in Bordeaux and Caen France and the masterplan for an eco-city in Logroño Larger scale visions for the future of greater Paris and the doubling in size of the Dutch new town Almere are also in development.MVRDV first published a manifesto of its work and ideas in FARMAX (1998) Spacefighter (2007) and Skycar City (2007) and more recently The Vertical Village (with The Why Factory 2012) and the firm’s first monograph of built works MVRDV Buildings (2013) MVRDV deals with issues ranging from global sustainability in large scale studies such as Pig City pragmatic architectural solutions for devastated areas such as New Orleans.The work of MVRDV is exhibited and published worldwide and has received numerous international awards designers and urbanists develop projects in a multi-disciplinary collaborative design process which involves rigorous technical and creative investigation MVRDV works with BIM and has official in-house BREEAM and LEED assessors.Together with Delft University of Technology an independent think tank and research institute providing an agenda for architecture and urbanism by envisioning the city of the future Archive Architecture Text description provided by the architects. Located in Rotterdam’s Museumpark, the depot features a new type of experience for museum visitors: a sturdy engine room where the complete collection of 151,000 objects is made accessible to the public. In addition to the various storage and care areas, the depot has a restaurant and an award-winning rooftop forest at a height of 35 metres. A 39.5-meter-high building ‘in the round’, the depot’s bowl-like form has a relatively small footprint. This form ensures that at the ground level, existing views into and routes through the Museumpark remain unimpeded and reduce the impact on underground water buffers, while an expansive rooftop public space with a restaurant provides access to inspiring views of Rotterdam. beginning in the ground floor lobby and continuing along the entire route through the building a rooftop forest at a height of 35 metres will provide another public attraction accessible via an express elevator from the ground floor and populated by 75 multi-stemmed birch trees standing several metres tall The rooftop offers visitors breath-taking vistas across the city of Rotterdam You'll now receive updates based on what you follow Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors If you have done all of this and still can't find the email MVRDV's Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen is one of the eclectic firm's most striking projects to date Resembling an oversized mirrored mixing bowl the building is described by the firm as the world's first publicly accessible art depot and offers visitors a glimpse into the secretive world of art preservation and restoration Located in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen came about because the country's Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen is undergoing a renovation by Mecanoo and will be closed until 2028 the museum's entire collection of 63,000 paintings contemporary art installations and sculptures As visitors travel through the building they can view the art and even see experts busily going about their work restoring "The Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen is the first publicly accessible art storage facility in the world," says MVRDV "The brief was to design a building that would be as inviting as possible where all different target groups would feel welcome It was emphatically not to become a second museum where only a small percentage of the collection can be exhibited but an engine room that reveals the world behind the storage and maintenance of a dazzling number of art and design works Visiting the depot offers a completely new experience: the art is arranged according to size and climate requirements "The depot owes its shape to the desire to give the building a relatively small footprint the building takes up less space in the park but curves upwards with a 10 m [32 ft] overhang to accommodate the entire program – storage spaces Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen reaches a height of 35 m (115 ft) and is defined by an eye-catching facade comprising 6,609 sq m (roughly 71,000 sq ft) of mirrored glass The interior measures 15,541 sq m (167,000 sq ft) and is arranged around a large atrium with criss-crossing staircases and glazing offering glimpses at the art inside The building is topped by a small public park area (this can be reached separately without paying for a ticket to the depot) consisting of 75 birch trees so MVRDV installed a windbreak and a cross-shaped restaurant to reduce wind loads and says this will be sufficient to ensure the trees withstand severe weather the depot has some sustainability features including solar panels on the roof to reduce its grid-based electricity usage an efficient geothermal heat exchanger-based heating system and a rainwater collection system that irrigates the rooftop park and provides water to flush the toilets Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen has been in the works for a long time It was first commissioned in 2013 and began construction in 2017 It now finally opens to the public on November 6 though extensive landscaping of the surrounding area is still ongoing and Source: MVRDV Stocchi joined Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen on 1 January 2012 and since then has played a major role in the exhibition programme and collections policy contributing greatly to the museum’s international reputation Exhibitions to which he contributed include Brancusi Gelatin: Vorm – Fellows – Attitude (2018) and the acclaimed socially distanced exhibition Boijmans Ahoy Drive-Thru Museum (2021) in Rotterdam Ahoy during the pandemic He curated several editions of the Sensory Spaces programme and was one of the founders of the new which recently had its first edition in Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen with artist Neo Muyanga he deepened the museum’s existing relationships with artists such as Cyprien Gaillard Peter Struycken and also with Co Westerik in the last years of his life and career Stocchi has a great passion for Minimalism His exhibition Minimal Myth (2012) combined 1960s and 1970s masterpieces from the museum’s collection with contemporary works by artists such as Lydia Gifford and Monika Sonoswka He enriched the museum’s collection of Minimalist art with new works by The wait has ended for the revamped Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam. The world’s first publicly accessible art storage depot officially opened to the public over the weekend after a five-year-long construction period led by MVRDV Visitors will now be able to interact with over 151,000 pieces of art housed by the 167,000-square-foot facility, which also features a Birch-lined rooftop garden and viewable conservation areas giving them behind-the-scenes views of the museum’s staff working across five distinct climate-controlled zones The unique, 1,664-mirrored-panel bowl design made waves online and has been among the most highly-anticipated museum projects in recent memory since being announced in 2013 The project was initiated by the museum after repeated flooding of its previous storage facility prompted officials to reimagine how they might be able to use an upgrade to expand the relatively small amount of its collection that was viewable to the public at a given time This feature puts the Museum Boijmans in league with other institutions like the Broad and Whitney museums which also give their visitors direct contact with their inner-workings and professional staff an element the Dutch directors feel is vital to the success of their public program you are already playing in the second division,” directors Jarel Ex and Ina Klaassen said in a joint statement the amazing collection finally gets its own architecture Only then do you see how the functioning of the art storage impacts the museum Visitors can now see for themselves the love and attention to detail with which each individual work of art is preserved for future generations and Rotterdammers are going to have a lot of fun.” the fun to be had comes thanks to a panoptic view attained by visitors who enter a unique entrance designed by artist John Körmeling A series of crisscrossed staircases takes visitors the length of the building through the visible storage and eventually the rooftop where they can enjoy surrounding views of the city and Museumpark below Winy Maas has done a brilliant job with the design brief’s mandate to make the building as large and inviting as possible working within a relatively small imprint The final product is something he feels adds a new life to a 172-year-old institution and the experience of being in direct contact with the art without the mediation of a curator.” the MVRDV founder said in a statement “Our ambition was to give the Museumpark a new dimension into contact with the Boijmans collection in an innovative way.” The opening ceremony was performed by the Netherlands’ King Willem-Alexander. The depot is open to the public between 11:00 am and 6:00 pm. Ticketing information can be found here MVRDV is adding the finishing touches to the world’s first publicly accessible art depot in rotterdam, the netherlands called ‘depot boijmans van beuningen’ the new building features a tree-topped roof garden and a curved image by ossip van duivenbode (also main image) located in rotterdam’s museumpark, the 39.5-meter tall building is designed by MVRDV to offer a new type of museum experience the depot has a relatively small footprint thanks to its ‘bowl-like’ form which is made up of 6,609 sqm of glass subdivided into 1,664 mirrored panels offers pleasing reflections of the surroundings helping to embed the new intervention into the context the museum hosts an extensive collection of 151,000 objects the pieces will be stored according to climatic requirements the building’s main feature is the large atrium with crisscrossing staircases and suspended glass display cases the protagonist of the design is the rooftop restaurant and rooftop forest visitors can enjoy panoramic views across rotterdam. sjarel ex and ina klaassen, directors of museum boijmans van beuningen say ‘this is a working building in which the most important consideration is what the building can do: to look after our collection while still being open to the public next year the entire collection of boijmans van beuningen will once again be visible on one spot for the first time since 1935 we are convinced that making the collection accessible shows how much we care and how well we take care of it this is something that the inhabitants of rotterdam will be proud of; something that they want to see with their own eyes because they partly own this enormous artistic treasure.’ now the museum and the users can start to inhabit the building and fill its spaces with priceless art although it will take another year before the real opening the completion is a special moment for all: the museum stichting de verre bergen and of course for the contractor BAM the many construction workers and subcontractors who persisted during the difficult circumstances we all faced due to the pandemic and its success comes from the direct dialogue with all parties involved – from the person calculating the exact curvature of the mirroring panels and the construction worker who put up the glass vitrines to the company that co-designed our rooftop forest.’ project title: depot boijmans van beuningen architecture: MVRDV landscape: MTD landschapsarchitecten project team: sanne van der burg with arjen ketting competition team: sanne van der burg and marta pozo gil with gerard heerink The colossal mirrored bowl of the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen costs a fortune to clean and has upset a neighbouring hospital ‘A worthy ambition … but the truth is that you don’t actually get to see much.’ Photograph: Ossip van DuivenbodeThere is also the more fundamental question of how well-suited a circular bowl is to the function of storing art the curved geometry creates a pleasing fan-shape of racks but in other wedge-shaped rooms the racks are forced to taper into unusable triangular corners The storage has been forced to fit the quirks of the building which seems like an odd way to design an art store This paper investigates if the new Museum Boijmans van Beuningen Depot is a transparent museum or merely provides the illusion of transparency The collection of the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen is considered one of the best collections worldwide The collection consists of over 148,000 artworks One can image that not all of these works of art are on constant display in the regular museum Boijmans explains that only 8% of the entire collection is regularly visible in the museum halls the remaining artworks are spread out over multiple outdated depots in and outside of Rotterdam The current depot spaces are too small and unsafe After five floodings in the museum’s depot, including two big ones in 2013, Museum Boijmans van Beuningen’s director Sjarel Ex snapped and decided that something needed to happen immediately. Luckily enough the museum had already started to think about a new depot in 2005 The Boijmans van Beuning Depot will reach 40 meters high, which is just as high as the original museum’s tower. The new building will be 15.000 m2 big, count 6 floors and will have a glass ceiling through which light can shine into the building different modern techniques and materials will be used to make the building progressive in its durability to maintain the Museumpark as much as they could The museum will plant the trees that have to give way for the construction on its rooftop garden but sells the experience of entering a backstage normally hidden The new museum depot seems transparent in multiple ways visitors can experience the building process very closely online One can download or request a printed version of the Depot Journal that will be published six times during the construction Would this mean that employees have no privacy at all and that they will preserve important artworks like monkeys in a zoo Could this imply that an important Leonardo da Vinci is restored while rows of tourists with selfie sticks knock on the windows Or is the transparent process merely a reconstruction of what will still happen behind doors that are still closed According to Ning Wang the authenticity of a touristic experience can be divided into three categories (1999) The first category is objective authenticity This category refers to the authenticity of the originals There is an absolute and objective way to measure if an object is authentic With technology it can be confirmed that for instance the Mona Lisa in the Louvre is the true authentic painting that Leonardo da Vinci painted and not a cheap replica tourists encounter an authentic experience by the recognition of the toured object as authentic Chhabra (2007) constructs a five point continuum containing stances towards the authenticity of touristic experiences within museums The second and fourth stance can be seen as transitioning areas The first stance is called pure essentialism and mostly resembles Wang’s objective authenticity authenticity is determined based on the fact if the object or person embodies or reflects a valued essence (Newman it has a scientific connotation because it can only be determined by professionals cultural signifiers like museums are endorsed by heritage authorities to use objective authenticity in their discourse visible in the fact that museums display a painting with a small sign containing the details about the painting and the year it was made The objective authenticity in the Boijmans van Beuningen Depot would be that the artworks are authentic works and not replicas could be seen as the opposite of the audience driven fifth stance: the constructivist school of thought This fifth constructivism stance implies that forms of authenticity are present for market based commodification this stance shows ‘inclination towards audience orientation and the economic rewards’ (p This stance can entail deliberately constructed pseudo-backstages Tourists are given a glimpse of the backstage of an institution like a museum to attract them for financial reasons however this backstage is not the authentic backstage but merely a reproduction In the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen depot this would mean that the windows through which visitors can see restoration and preservation do not show the true restoration process that still happens behind closed doors but merely a reconstruction of these activities Visitors are served an illusion of transparency This stance resembles Wang’s constructivism stance because it provides the visitor with a feeling of authenticity although the viewable object is not authentic but constructed The depot provides visitors a touristic experience and an existential state of being that is activated by their entry of the building and their experiences within it The third stance is labeled the negotiation stance and defines authenticity as a negotiation process between pure authenticity and commodification It could be seen as a dialogue between the makers and the consumers and is inclined to embrace the authentic object - or in Museum Boijmans van Beuningen’s case: artwork this re-creation process can sustain authenticity because ‘it may actually preserve traditions by generating demand or attributing value to them’ (p a museum can accomplish this by opening up the museum’s backstages for the audience Chhabra suggests that museums should open op repositories and offer flexibility of exploration instead the museum becomes ‘a laboratory of reflection and explanation’ (p Chhabra mentions in her article that contemporary museums find themselves stretched between an essentialism position in which they research objects for their own sake and a constructivist position in which they flourish on market forces Chhabra concludes her article by suggesting that a negotiation model is the best option for museums to deal with authenticity The negotiation stance is a mishmash between commodification and artistry Through a negotiation process a museum can serve the market’s needs and pressures while being able to uphold its own authenticity The most important aspect for museums then becomes reflexivity The museum builds a reflexive relation between its audience and the museum itself The negotiation stance seems to resemble what the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen depot is realizing to what extent can the depot be fit in the negotiation stance and does it not resemble a constructivist stance Museum Boijmans van Beuningen brands its depot as a completely transparent depot in which the visitor is truly part of the process and is able to see the authentic museum process that normally happens behind closed doors This seems to be a negotiation between the authenticity of the museum visible in the chosen form of a depot to better preserve the museum’s art and the commercial thoughts to make it accessible for an audience and make it profitable by doing so It looks like a textbook example of Chhabra's negotiation model this transparency could also be seen as a construction Perhaps the museum will give the audience the illusion of a glimpse into this authentic process but still perform important restorations and preservations behind closed doors where employees won’t get distracted and have some privacy It is impossible to predict if Boijmans van Beuningen will use a negotiation approach or a constructivist approach regarding authenticity in their depot precision and importance of the work the employees perform I would suggest to use a more constructivist approach and construct a backstage This backstage may already be in place in the current design of the depot since only 45% of the building is directly accessible to the public the museum does claim that the remaining areas will be accessible with a guide and a guard What’s perhaps more interesting than predicting what model the depot would use is overthinking if it would matter if the transparency of the depot is merely an illusion The difference between objective authenticity and constructed authenticity is solely if the object is scientifically authentic In both cases a visitor would consider the object authentic and have an authentic experience What the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen depot offers the visitor is more of an experience than a specific object it could stated that the museum will display Wang’s existential authenticity The visitor is able to wander through the depot without being guided by an imposed exhibition and engages in non-ordinary activities that allow the visitor an authentic experience it wouldn’t matter to the visitor if the objects or activities are constructed or authentic as long as they evoke this authentic feeling It could be concluded that the museum will definitely offer an authentic experience for visitors regardless of whether this experience is based on something constructed or authentic The Museum Boijmans van Beuningen Depot is an innovative way of dealing with the display of cultural heritage and its authenticity in a museum setting the museum should overthink how transparent the depot will be complete transparency would be innovative and a huge refreshment in the museum sector it could raise issues of privacy and quality The visitor will probably not notice the difference between a constructed backstage and a true backstage Morally it would be better to provide complete transparency like the museum claims it will it would be interesting to see what would happen within the entire museum sector if the depot would be completely transparent: would other institutions follow Would it prompt more and more diverse people to visit a museum If the museum wants to embrace this true transparency it would be a great idea to involve the audience in more decisive activities the museum could create different workshops on restoration It could give visitors lectures on how concepts for exhibitions are created and how artworks are selected for these exhibitions visitors could then download an app that enables them to virtually create their own exhibitions The museum could then create a monthly small ‘exhibition created by a visitor’ in their regular museum This would also stimulate visitors of the depot to visit the regular museum and vice versa and the museum process would become even more transparent It would prevent the depot from becoming a new but less organised regular museum but truly makes it a lab for visitors to explore and participate actively it is visible in the building and in the concept it is up to the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen to make the execution of the concept just as transparent and inclusive I believe the depot could become a great asset for the city as well as an important innovation in the worldwide museum industry and I personally hardly wait until it'sá is finished don’t hesitate to get in touch about my ideas (2008) Positioning museums on an authenticity continuum Commoditizing culture: Tourism and Maya identity Rethinking authenticity in tourism experience Our newsletter arrives every Monday with fresh reviews almost 10 years since MVRDV first won the competition to design rotterdam‘s depot boijmans van beuningen in 2013, the world’s first publicly accessible art storage facility is ready to open its doors this saturday visitors can take a look around the 151,000 artworks that are stored in five different climate zones or enjoy views of the city from the rooftop forest and restaurant renilde to mark the completion of the mirror-clad building king willem-alexander of the netherlands will perform the opening ceremony on friday image © ossip van duivenbode (also main image) designed with a minimal footprint and ‘to be as inviting as possible’ depot boijmans van beuningen is articulated by a round bowl-like form that curves upwards with a 10-meter overhang the façade is covered in 1,664 mirrored glass panels to make the building disappear into its surroundings the large entrance doors merge into the façade and only become visible during opening hours visitors will find a large atrium with crisscrossing staircases the artwork is stored according to size and climate requirements meaning visitors can experience the juxtaposition of old and contemporary pieces the program also contains restoration studios and film and presentation rooms across the seven storeys windows from the atrium into the storage spaces give the impression of a panopticon thirteen large display cases ensure that visitors comes into contact with a collage of collection pieces as soon as they enter the building there was close cooperation with a number of artists: john körmeling designed the entrance and marieke van diemen designed the display cases pipilotti rist designed a light installation that makes the depot come alive at night the 35-meter-high rooftop forest comprises 75 birches the trees for this project were prepared for their new home for three years in a nursery because the windbreak and the cross-shaped restaurant on the roof protect the birches from strong winds they will be able to withstand stormy weather even at a height of 35 meters ‘I think it’s great to see how the depot has been embraced by rotterdammers even before it opened’ and the experience of being in direct contact with the art without the mediation of a curator our ambition was to give the museumpark a new dimension ‘a good house is of vital importance you are already playing in the second division the amazing collection finally gets its own architecture’ the directors of the museum boijmans van beuningen ‘only then do you see how the functioning of the art storage impacts the museum which is largely owned by the municipality but also largely by private individuals visitors can now see for themselves the love and rotterdammers are going to have a lot of fun with the depot.’ ‘the already iconic depot boijmans van beuningen is a wonderful asset to rotterdam’ ‘the versatility of the building appeals to me: it is both a place to wander between a lot of great art a wonderful place to enjoy a culinary highlight with a spectacular view over our city it is a place where future makers and conservators – the children and students of today – can become fascinated by the creation that makes me a proud rotterdammer!’ see designboom’s previous coverage of depot boijmans van beuningen here. size and program: 15,000sqm – accessible storage facility for art and design irene start visualization: antonio luca coco carlo cattó copyright: MVRDV 2021 – (winy maas partners: contractor: BAM bouw en techniek happening now! partnering with antonio citterio, AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function, but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style, context, and personal expression. NetherlandsChevron RotterdamChevron Ye shall know them by their permanent collection: How was it?You'll find paintings by everyone from Rembrandt and Dali to Monet and Van Gogh, and artworks range from the medieval to the contemporary. But also by their new shoes. How were the exhibits?One current temporary exhibition is the highly-Instagrammable Infinity Mirror Room by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. What did you make of the crowd?Be prepared: The popular museum is crowded with school groups most days of the week. On the practical tip, how were facilities?Bring a map because the large, maze-like building can be a little daunting. Gift shop: obligatory, inspiring—or skip it?The gift shop stocks the requisite books and postcards, along with items by Rotterdam-based designers like Hella Jongerius and Richard Hutten, Scholten & Baijings, Studio Jeroen Wand, Cor Unum, and Goods and Hay. Is the café worth a stop, or should we just plan on going elsewhere?Grab a drink, sandwich, or slice of cake, and enjoy it on the terrace overlooking the Museumpark. up-to-the-minute voice in all things travel Condé Nast Traveler is the global citizen’s bible and muse We understand that time is the greatest luxury which is why Condé Nast Traveler mines its network of experts and influencers so that you never waste a meal or a hotel stay wherever you are in the world Dutch design practice Mecanoo has unveiled a proposal for a new wing of the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen Taking aim at the structure's back of house and organization the project is made to create clear circulation and connections throughout the project is part of a larger renovation of the existing Museum Garden as it bring together the wings of the architects Van der Steur and Bodon as part of the collection Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen will become a place for people of Rotterdam and visitors to the city a place where people of all generations and cultural backgrounds like to go News via Mecanoo Work is nearing completion on a new art depot by MVRDV that offers visitors insight into the world of art preservation and restoration the project features an eye-catching mirrored facade and is topped by a public garden Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen looks a bit like an oversized mixing bowl and reaches a height of 34 m (111 ft) in Rotterdam. The project was first unveiled back in 2015 and will host an open day in September 2020 after which the artworks will be carefully moved in It's due to open its doors to the public a year later in September 2021 is currently being planted with a total of 75 birch trees using a crane to get them up there visitors will be able to take an express elevator to the top and enjoy the views of the city visitors will be able to tour the 14,000-sq-m (150,694-sq-ft) center and see experts busily restoring works of art and catch a glimpse at the 151,000 artworks that are being safely stored Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen also involves BAM Bouw en Techniek and MTD landschapsarchitecten. MVRDV has been very busy lately and, as well as unveiling its planned Shenzhen Terraces, the influential firm recently completed the superb Tianan Spring project Source: MVRDV Visitors to the Depot in Rotterdam will be able view any of 151,000 items in revered collection It is being described as the “museum of the future” with institutions across the world including London’s V&A set to follow the path pioneered by Rotterdam’s Boijmans Van Beuningen will be on permanent display to the public As is the case with major museums across the world first opened in 1849 to show off the collections of Frans Jacob Otto Boijmans and Daniël George van Beuningen has for a long time only been able to display about 4% of its treasures in permanent and temporary exhibitions visitors – wearing protective coats and asked to restrict themselves to carrying a small bag for the purposes of security – will have the full gamut of the museum’s crown jewels to view across six floors The works, including more than 63,000 paintings, photographs, films, pre-industrial and design objects, contemporary art installations, sculptures and 88,000 prints and drawings, are being stored, organised and displayed on the basis of their size and conservation requirements rather than theme or artist. Due to the lack of curating one would expect within such a collection, it is hoped that there will be an element of discovery and adventure for those looking around. Objects are displayed on movable racks, or in display cases, efficiently packed in, with objects sensitive to light or heat kept in cabinets, only to be inspected on appointment. “You’ll go through the collection like you would visit a library looking for a book and finding three others,” said Sjarel Ex, the museum’s joint director. “We also decided to take private collectors, to give private collectors opportunities to work with us in the same building. So you see when you go around and you see the floors, you will meet with several collections that enjoy a collaboration with the museum.” Boijmans is setting a global trend, says Ina Klaassen, the museum’s second joint director. The Victoria and Albert Museum has been taking soundings from the Boijman over its plans for its own version, the Storehouse, in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. “But we have had conversations with people from Korea, Stavanger, Norway, Singapore, they all came along, and yesterday there was a delegation from Qatar,” she added. Read more“We did a symposium three months ago that was joined by over 200 colleagues in the world and with their staff,” said Ex The idea had been first mooted in Rotterdam in 2004 as a solution to a typically Dutch problem: flooding It has been an issue for decades and a major flood in the museum’s cellars The Boijmans was spending an increasing amount of money on external warehouses We think that we want to show more collection because the city actually owns the collection The museum did so and has now ploughed €55m (£50m) into its “open storage” facility thanks in large part to a €27m donation from the De Verre Bergen Foundation Inconveniences along the way included having to send back the mirrored glass for the facade on arrival from China as it was deemed to be too brown The reflective facade is made up of 6,609 sq metres of glass grasses and pines planted on the building’s roof help retain rainwater the Depot is not an alternative to the main museum under renovation and not due to reopen until 2028 “That is a completely different story,” she said This is just the first stage of the museum of the future.” mecanoo has proposed the addition of a passage between the existing wings designed by architects van der steur (1935) and bodon (1972).all images courtesy of mecanoo mecanoo‘s addition seeks to transform the museum boijmans van beuningen into a beautifully clear complex with good logistics for both visitors and the back of house its two existing wings by architects van der steur (1935 national monument in proceedings) are considered part of the museum’s collection the museum has become a maze over the years and problematic logistics for the back of house there is overdue maintenance and a lot of asbestos in challenging places while boijmans has no front and the museum garden in the museum park feels like it is positioned at the rear the transparent passage meanders organically between the buildings of van der steur and bodon linking the city to the park and vice versa the passage starts on museumparkstraat as a horizontal and transparent element creating a generous entrance and the new museum shop the wing then fans out into a multifunctional foyer on the buitenhof site welcoming visitors to the exhibition spaces in the bodon and van der steur wings and giving access to the buitenhof ‘boijmans is transforming from introvert to extrovert where inside and outside intertwine,’ explains mecanoo ‘it therefore feels natural and organic it is precisely in contrast that it enters into a harmonious composition with the wings of van der steur and bodon.’ the addition creates a new museum park entrance with the introduction of a park pavilion in the current parking lot of the villas on the westersingel this park pavilion will have a partly double-height exhibition space where visitors will be able to experience the art from the public passage above without a ticket the museum will gain a diverse range of spaces in its total complex: round organic with various heights and with different forms of daylight there’s even the possibility of a sensory experience: artists can design temporary installations where a play with light the park pavilion also houses the restaurant with a view over the museum garden listens to the logic of the building with optimal anchoring in the context respecting and restoring the ideas of bodon and van der steur the new vision enables a clear and safe approach route via the westersingel via a central address for all logistics flows a new logistics axis is made at the basement level of bodon the landscape design at ground level will be incorporated in such a way that the logistics intervention will go unnoticed mecanoo is also planning on transforming the museum garden with sustainable components: more water users and visitors want to be able to move play and meet,’ the dutch firm notes seating and play elements that connect the museum garden with the park it is logical and beautiful to connect the sculpture route of the westersingel via a passage between the villas to the museum park this has been a longstanding desire of rotterdam urban planners architect: mecanoo location: museum boijmans van beuningen