The design museum Die Neue Sammlung in the Pinakothek der Moderne has been given a new exhibition space by Kuehn Malvezzi, which has actually been in existence for almost 20 years. But only now has it been possible to use the former depot for its intended purpose. Since the completion of the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich, the term “Schaudepot” […]
The design museum Die Neue Sammlung in the Pinakothek der Moderne has been given a new exhibition space by Kuehn Malvezzi, which has actually been in existence for almost 20 years. But only now has it been possible to use the former depot for its intended purpose.
“Schaudepot” has been written on a door in the rooms of the Neue Sammlung since the completion of Munich’s Pinakothek der Moderne in 2002. Florian Hufnagl, the long-standing director of the Design Museum, had planned an exhibition space there from the outset. However, the room was initially needed as a museum depot, and later the financial means to realize the expansion were lacking. So for a long time it remained a door sign. A few years ago, Hufnagl’s successor Angelika Nollert made a new attempt to realize the project. She found private patrons and persuaded the Bavarian state government to make money available as well. But the budget remained tight.
Nollert approached the Berlin architectural firm Kuehn Malvezzi, with whom she had already worked on Documenta 11, with a request to develop a plan for the space. The architects have repeatedly demonstrated that they are able to intelligently and efficiently complement existing buildings and create outstanding exhibition spaces. In Berlin, for example, they converted the Rieckhallen for the Museum Hamburger Bahnhof and the Kunstgewerbemuseum, and in Braunschweig they converted the Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum.
A viewing platform as a second level
In Munich, Kuehn Malvezzi took an extremely economical approach. They continued to use the large metal shelves that had previously been procured for use as a – closed – museum depot. However, they moved them from the center of the room, where they had previously been arranged in several rows, to the walls. This created a large open space in the center, which will be used for events and museum education in the future. The biggest intervention in the existing building is the new access to the room. (Whereby “intervention” is actually inaccurate, as the architects had practically nothing torn out, not even the existing floor covering). From the exhibition level, the room, which is around 7 meters high, was previously accessible via a wide staircase that led from around half the height of the room down to floor level.
However, there was previously no elevator, which meant that access was not barrier-free – another reason why the depot could not be made accessible to the public. Kuehn Malvezzi built a walkway halfway up the wide staircase at the level of the entrance. It ends at an elevator that leads to the lower level. The walkway bends at a right angle in front of the elevator and is supported by pillars and leads to the opposite side of the room, where a second staircase leads to the floor level. However, the walkway is not just an access route, it is also a second exhibition level. Here, the architects have installed display cabinets in which small and delicate objects can be displayed, for which the large metal shelves on the walls are not suitable. In addition, Kuehn Malvezzi have used the walkway to create an ideal position from which to view the exhibits on the higher levels of the wall shelves. At the same time, the walkway and stairs are also intended to serve as spectator seating for events in the large open space.
Exhibiting in black and white
Below the walkway, the architects have created installation areas for large and heavy exhibits. Objects up to the size of a car can be displayed here on flat pedestals. Kuehn Malvezzi also created display options for exhibits that are to be presented hanging. Upright, ceiling-high grids also allow large-format objects, such as carpets, to be displayed. The architects emphasized the graphic appearance of their fixtures by having the shelves and the bar painted white. The shelves and display cabinets were each fitted with individually controllable lighting. Angelika Nollert describes this as the “only luxury” in the project.
The exhibition concept to be implemented in the redesigned space is neither that of a classic Schaulager, nor do the curators want to continue the logic of the other collection rooms here. “No hierarchy, no chronology, no geography” was a maxim in the planning. Instead, the individual shelves and display cases will illuminate certain themes from different angles: this could be a material, an application or even a color. However, the name Schaudepot no longer seemed appropriate for this concept. The space has now been christened “XDEPOT” instead. The X stands for the extension of the depot concept, says Nollert. The name also plays with terms such as experience, extend or explore. However, due to the coronavirus, visitors will not be able to see the new Kuehn Malvezzi exhibition space for themselves until February. I wonder what the sign on the door will say then?
More from Malvezzi: the Berlin-based firm Kuehn Malvezzi built the new insectarium in the Montreal Botanical Garden.
