Hongkun Museum of Fine Arts

‘If cave-paintings were the earliest transmitted art, the caves were our first museums and galleries. An arch is a structural interpretation of a cave. We used the arch as a formal expression for this gallery in Beijing as an traditional element in a contemporary interpretation.’

Entering the gallery through an opening in the monolithic facade, the arch-like curves continue to the interior and gently merge into a clean white space for exhibiting the artworks.

The open areas in the gallery offer a wide space for themed exhibition, while the gently curved entrance part draws people into the space and guides them naturally further into the gallery.

The solid expression of the exterior continually merges with a carved out interior and increases the sculptural appearance of the gallery. Multiple arches altering in size and orientation create a continuous, gentle curve which becomes a sculptural interpretation of the landscape paintings, that are exhibited in the gallery.

Within the arches, the entrance sculpture inhabits an information desk, a coatroom and the main circulation staircase, which guides visitors to the basement with a special exhibition hall and employees to the office area located on the mezzanine level.

This article was first published on precht.at