In the play of light on the Bosporus
Istanbul Modern: New Museum Architecture by Renzo Piano
New museum Istanbul Modern, © Cemal Emden
Renzo Piano Building Workshop designed a new home for the Istanbul Modern - Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Turkey, which is now open to visitors.
Exhibition on modern and contemporary art, © Cemal Emden
Against the background of the historically significant harbour area, this replacement building offers 10 500 m² of space for a broad range of art-related and cultural exhibitions. The collection encompasses works from 1945 to the present day and impressively demonstrates international influences on the change in the Turkish art world.
A glittering facade
At the gates to the Bosporus, Renzo Piano’s first design in Turkey resembles the hull of a ship with a scaly, glittering facade. Three-dimensional metal panels play artistically with the reflection of the light on the surface of the water, giving the structure an outer shell whose appearance changes with the angle of the sun.
View of the Bosporus, © Cemal Emden
The transparent ground floor is home to the museum library with a shop and café. Visitors ascend a central stairway to the areas for temporary exhibitions on the upper levels. One highlight is the restaurant, which features a large outdoor space facing the water. The building is topped off with a splendid rooftop terrace offering a 360-degree view over the city of Istanbul and its surroundings.
View into the exhibition Floating Island, © Cemal Emden
Exhibitions
Istanbul Modern is opening with five new exhibitions. Apart from the permanent collection from Turkish art history, the most comprehensive of these is the Floating Island collection. The contemporary works include international projects. The classical exhibition tour is set off with a diversity of film showings, educational offers and sculptural contributions in the outdoor areas.
Architecture: Renzo Piano Building Workshop, in collaboration with Arup (Istanbul), architects
Client: Istanbul Museum of Modern Art
Location: Istanbul (TR)
HVAC planning: Arup
Lighting design: Arup
Interior design: R. Uysalkan
Water element: JML
Gallery
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