Reminiscent of those rooms in mansions of the European nobility and bourgeoisie that were full of motley objects in a clutter, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen – Rotterdam’s leading cultural institution, which brings together the legacy of the two illustrious citizens it is named after – joins the new trend of displaying entire art collections, without selective filters or criteria, in a single enormous visitable depot. The local architecture and urban design practice MVRDV has for this purpose created a curved volume with a reflecting facade and a landscaped roof terrace 35 meters above ground. A central atrium presents a network of crisscrossing stairs that connect galleries, restoration workshops, and deposits indiscriminately, giving visitors a rare, unique view of the museum’s treasures and a close look at how they are conserved.
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