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Architects: Studio Odile Decq
- Area: 5000 m²
- Year: 2012
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Photographs:Odile Decq - Roland Halbe
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Manufacturers: Alucoil
Ambiguity of material, of light of shape and structure
A massive block
Black material
Densities of black
From absorbent mat to reflecting lustrous black, becoming transparent mat The inversion of weight and lightness
Gravity in suspension
Brute and sophisticated
The new building for the FRAC is the first of new contemporary art museums to be realized in France. It combines the main functions of conservation, exhibiting as well as diffusion of knowledge about art throughout a library, a conference room and educational services. The main façade offers a silent setting in respect to Nemours art work installed in front of the FRAC, but, inside, the building reveals itself in an unexpected complexity, catching the visitor by the strength full and sensual expression of the vertical void running over the entire building’s height.
From this void, the museum’s main functions are clearly readable, dispatching and articulating the different spaces in three dimensions along a progressive promenade of discovery and changing perception, from the basement’s open to public storage till the library on top. This museum, though modest in size, is challenging as a local landmark for contemporary art and combining all the functions needed in a densely articulated ensemble realized within the frame of a tight budget.
