03 2013
March 2013
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30/03 2013

The depot of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts has been officially opened

Last Monday the depot was officially opened by the Flemish Minister for Environment, Nature and Culture in Belgium, Joke Schauvliege together with Dikkie Scipio, partner and project leader.

Phase one consisted of removing a post Second World War nuclear bunker from the heart of the museum, restoring the museum to its original late 19th century design by Jacob Winders and Frans van Dijck, and accommodating a state of the art storage space.
Once the bunker had been removed, the newly freed space left way to the original spacious arches that now house the KMSKA’s extensive collection that includes major works by Belgium Artists from the 14th to the 20th century, from Van Eyck to Rubens to Magritte. The completion of this space marks the beginning of the second phase; an extensive renovation and extension also to be carried out by Claus en Kaan Architecten. The renovation will go forward without removing the precious art works thanks to this first phase.

The newly refurbished museum and its extension will open to the public in 2017. The 40% extra surface area will be obtained by constructing a modern ‘vertical museum’ within the museums existing large interior patios without altering the neoclassical landmark from the exterior.
According to architect Dikkie Scipio, the envisaged ‘vertical museum’ will be ‘suitable for both modest and monumental presentations. It will provide an equally bold setting as the 19th Century building, but without the architecture imposing itself on the art’.

It will be possible for the public to visit the depot on Saturday April 6th 2013, before the second stage of renovations gets underway.

For more images check our KAAN work section: Royal Museum of Fine Arts.

27/03 2013

“Nude” Dikkie Scipio – ZAAL Z number 5

The building work has been completed, demolition can begin. We are gradually revealing what has remained hidden for so long. The museum will later be completely exposed, showing us its true beauty before we dress it again for the 21st century.

The building work has been completed, demolition can begin. This statement seems to be paradoxical, so perhaps some explanation is in order. Up until now, the overriding focus has been on building the new art storage centre at the museum’s bomb-proof heart and then creating a route to transfer the works of art that were being stored in the museum to the new art depot. Although the museum’s original layout comprised of a sequence of rooms through which visitors could pass, its natural flow became blocked by the multiple uses that were added to the museum over the years. Directly above the entrance for example, one of the most beautiful and monumental wings became home to a number of very large works of art that, mysteriously had made their way into the space, but were now impossible to remove without cutting away parts of the walls. And so we sawed.

The paintings from the Rubens Gallery were able to be lifted through the hatch in the storage centre. For a few moments each painting, of tremendous value as a work of art, was no more than the sum of its weight and dimensions. Never before have so many of these works been seen from the back: a Rubens that was just a heavy colossus consisting of a number of wood panels – with a carved Hand of Antwerp – bound together by large iron bars. Its construction was like that of a building: monumental and solid. This is the ethos we will return to.

The galleries are now empty and, without the works on the walls, appear even larger than before. In the 19th century, a walk in the museum was like a walk in the park. There was no climate control, nor even electricity. The museum simply closed its doors when darkness fell. Systems were later installed for the comfort of the public and the well-being of the art, but these are now outdated. We are removing them just as we are removing everything else that has accumulated in the museum over the years. We are gradually revealing what has remained hidden for so long. Soon the museum will be completely stripped and exposed, showing us its true beauty before we dress it again for the 21st century.

 

You can download the PDF version via the link down here and you’ll find Dikkie Scipio’s article from page 17.