Groninger Museum

“The new Groninger Museum is not merely a casing for art, it is a work of art in itself, a principle that is occurring to an increasing extent in contemporary (museum) architecture. It is an artwork in the centre of the city, traversed by public space where passers-by are directly confronted by all kinds of works of art.” Right from the outset, it was certain that it would be designed by several architects. Mendini chose designers and architects for this purpose. When the definitive selection was presented, an announcement was made, stating they had been chosen 'because we believe that, in the next decade, artistic research will be more up-to-date and qualifying than academic architecture, which is in a declining phase’. All of its shapes, layouts and choice of materials and colors refer to an idea related to this statement. For instance the idea of ‘going down’ the main spiral staircase, not upstairs as in traditional museums (to 'exalted' art). See the website for more explanation.