Dark arts: a new museum dedicated to Pierre Soulages echoes the artist's colour palette
'New Brutalism' sums up some of the punch and swagger of the museum dedicated to Pierre Soulages that recently opened in his hometown of Rodez. As befits France's greatest living artist, a feisty 94 year old, this building is entirely abstract, settling itself with bold, blocky monochrome slabs across a prime position in the middle of the city.
Soulages is known for his consistency, notably a lifelong commitment to the colour black, and the museum effectively pays homage to this palette, also including his dark blue and deep brown walnut stain tones. The chef d'oeuvre of Catalan practice RCR Arquitectes (aided closely by Narbonne firm Roques et Passelac), this geometric game of interlocking volumes is, like Soulages' work, both utterly 'now' and yet resonant of other eras of High Modernist certainty.
Sprawling over 6,600 sq m on a series of stepped levels, the structure's distinctive Corten steel conjures Soulages' rusty 'brou de noix' autumnal aesthetic and the sculpture of Richard Serra; likewise it's glassed pavilion entrance has all the austere grace of Mies van der Rohe's Neue Nationalgalerie. This museum would happily be mistaken for some sixties exercise in 'bunker archeology', but with all the finish and finesse of an expensive contemporary cultural institution.
After the drama of its exterior silhouette, a jagged composition equally striking from every approach, RCR then excels with the actual galleries themselves, a chain of sumptuously somber salons that pull one along as if underwater. Views are discretely filtered through blinds, and all daylight carefully controlled, while the exhibition walls in varied dark hues explain Soulages' status among the most refined decorators from Hicks to Haslam.
Indeed if the museum's aesthetic, beautifully hand-tailored Brutalism suggests Tom Ford on steroids, the final effect avoids all stridency, any sense of a gratuitous 'statement', thanks to the in situ intimacy of the actual works. 'I demand nothing of the spectator,' Soulages may boldly claim, but this building, his triumphant final testimony, demands at very least a deliberate détour.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
-
The moments fashion met art at the 60th Venice Biennale
The best fashion moments at the 2024 Venice Biennale, with happenings from Dior, Golden Goose, Balenciaga, Burberry and more
By Jack Moss Published
-
Crispin at Studio Voltaire, in Clapham, is a feast for all the senses
New restaurant Crispin at Studio Voltaire is the latest opening from the brains behind Bistro Freddie and Bar Crispin, with interiors by Jermaine Gallagher
By Billie Brand Published
-
Vivienne Westwood’s personal wardrobe goes up for sale in landmark Christie’s auction
The proceeds of ’Vivienne Westwood: The Personal Collection’, running this June, will go to the charitable causes she championed during her lifetime
By Jack Moss Published
-
National Portrait Gallery reopens its refreshed home
London’s National Portrait Gallery reopens with a design by leading architect Jamie Fobert and conservation specialist Purcell
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
The Museum of Amazonian Science offers global hope and sustainability
An environmentalist’s ambitious project includes the Museum of Amazonian Science in Brazil and fulfils his vision of powering up the local bioeconomy and saving humanity
By Scott Mitchem Published
-
Sydney Modern opens its doors and reveals immersive SANAA architecture
SANAA’s Sydney Modern opens its doors to the public in Australia
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Refreshed Gainsborough House in Suffolk gears up for reopening
Thomas Gainsborough House in Suffolk reopens to a design by architecture studio ZMMA
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Etruscan Galleries at Fondazione Luigi Rovati by Mario Cucinella just flow
In Milan, the Etruscan Galleries at the Fondazione Luigi Rovati, designed by architect Mario Cucinella, open to the public
By Ellie Stathaki Last updated
-
Morphosis unveils flowing Orange County Museum of Art
Explore the curved shapes and expressive interiors of the Orange County Museum of Art by Morphosis, now open in California
By Ellie Stathaki Last updated
-
Buffalo AKG Art Museum by OMA looks to the future
The Buffalo AKG Art Museum (formerly the Albright-Knox Art Gallery) is reborn with a striking OMA-designed extension, site-specific installations, and a new focus on the local community
By Amy Serafin Last updated
-
Estudio MMX’s Geology Museum on the Yucatán Peninsula is a big hit
Estudio MMX’s new crater-inspired Geology Museum on the Yucatán Peninsula is sure to be a big hit
By Ellie Stathaki Published