Switzerland’s Muzeum Susch opens in a redesigned rural monastery

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Outside of Muzeum Susch with views of green hills
Launching today, Muzeum Susch is the new home for experimental and contemporary art in Switzerland.
(Image credit: Studio Stefano Graziani, Muzeum Susch, Art Stations Foundation CH)

Located among the picturesque remnants of an old rural monastery in the idyllic and remote setting of the Engadin valley, Switzerland's latest home for the arts, Muzeum Susch, has opened its doors to the public.

Designed by Zurich-based architecture firm Voellmy Schmidlin Architektur – led by Chasper Schmidlin and Lukas Voellmy – the new contemporary art museum is the brainchild of Polish entrepreneur and art patron Grażyna Kulczyk. The building was founded and created by Kulczyk to house her collection in a series of site-specific installations as well as temporary shows, set to become part of the global art crowd’s cultural schedule.

Exterior of Muzeum Susch with white walls and wooden window frames

Founded by Grażyna Kulczyk, the museum was designed by Swiss architecture firm Voellmy Schmidlin Architektur. 

(Image credit: Studio Stefano Graziani, Muzeum Susch, Art Stations Foundation CH)

The architects worked with existing structures – the remains of the former vicarage, hospice and brewery spaces of the monastery originally established in 1157 – expanding and sensitively reimagining the interiors around the collection's art, and composing site-specific moments throughout the complex. Their aim was to create a journey that respects and honours the existing architecture, while working to highlight the artwork in the best possible way. Meanwhile, elements of the site's natural rock formations remain exposed, connecting the museum to the surrounding natural landscape.

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Now Muzeum Susch includes over 1,500sq m of temporary and permanent gallery spaces, while the modern complex also houses Instituto Susch, an academic institute supporting research on gender issues in art and science, and Acziun Susch, a performative programme on the the art of contemporary choreography.

The opening show, ‘A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women’ focuses on the ‘notion of the feminine’, explains its curator Kasia Redzisz, and features work by over 30 international artists.

White room with wooden ceiling slates and a wall of paintings

The architects aimed to respect and honour the historical buildings on site. 

(Image credit: Studio Stefano Graziani, Muzeum Susch, Art Stations Foundation CH)

Entrance of a rock cave

The museum was created within a series of former monastery and brewery buildings in Susch. 

(Image credit: Studio Stefano Graziani, Muzeum Susch, Art Stations Foundation CH)

Interior of a cave with entrance and wooden wall

The architects worked with the existing buildings and nature, while adapting the interiors for both site specific pieces and temporary art shows. 

(Image credit: Studio Stefano Graziani, Muzeum Susch, Art Stations Foundation CH)

White hallway with cave at the end

Now, the project comprises over 1,500 sq m of gallery spaces. 

(Image credit: Studio Stefano Graziani, Muzeum Susch, Art Stations Foundation CH)

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Voellmy Schmidlin Architektur website

Ellie Stathaki

Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).