Plywood Pavilions at Munch Exhibition | barth

Since 1877, barth has created bespoke interior solutions for jewelers, boutiques, museums, company headquarters, private residences, and hospitality spaces around the world.

Custom-built pavilions from barth were used in the landmark exhibition Edvard Munch: Landscapes of the Soul, located in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra). Designed by the architectural firm Snøhetta, the exhibition marked Munch’s first presentation in the Arab world and the first major showcase of a Western figurative artist in the country.

This culturally significant project was set within Ithra’s Great Hall, a 13-meter-high, organically shaped space intended for interdisciplinary cultural events. The design concept by Snøhetta called for five asymmetrical, freestanding pavilions—each rising to seven meters—to reflect key emotional themes from Munch’s work. barth was entrusted with the engineering and construction of these monolithic structures. Crafted entirely from high-grade plywood, the pavilions had to be both visually striking and technically sophisticated, meeting international museum standards for climate control and conservation while resonating with the emotional tone of the exhibition.

The decision to use plywood was both aesthetic and practical, offering a natural, tactile finish while also allowing for precision prefabrication and efficient transport. The structures were installed without permanent fixtures, preserving the integrity of Ithra’s Great Hall.

barth’s contribution extended beyond fabrication. The company played a vital role in translating complex curatorial themes—melancholy, love, despair, loneliness, and portraits of the soul—into immersive environments. Exteriors featured warm, laser-engraved plywood surfaces referencing Munch’s woodcuts, while interiors were finished in pure white to provide a neutral canvas for the artworks. The seamless transition between exterior and interior mirrored the exhibition’s conceptual journey from external expression to internal reflection. Thanks to barth’s expertise in structural engineering, advanced joinery, and curatorial sensitivity, the five pavilions became more than display structures—they became emotional spaces in their own right.

Each step of the process required close coordination between barth’s fabrication team in Northern Italy, the exhibition designers at Snøhetta, and the curators overseeing the integrity of Munch’s work. Digital modeling and CNC milling were used to achieve the complex geometries and precise tolerances demanded by the design, while material selections and finishing methods were tailored to meet strict conservation guidelines. This collaborative approach ensured that the final structures not only fulfilled their aesthetic and technical functions but also integrated seamlessly into the broader narrative and logistical framework of the exhibition.

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