Daniel Libeskind unveils design for new Lithuanian modern art museum

Architect Daniel Libeskind revealed his plans for a new modern art center in Vilnius, Lithuania. 

The 3,100-sm museum will house works created from 1960 through the present day, which includes 4,000 paintings, photographs, and videos from Viktoras Butkus’ collection. Butkus and Danguole Butkiene are co-founders of the Modern Art Center (MAC) Vilnius.

The building, made of two volumetric forms, is clad in a white concrete exterior façade. It has an interior courtyard, and a staircase that leads to a garden that is connected to the piazza at street level.

The building has floor-to-ceiling glazing to maximize daylighting. A five-meter cantilever will provide shading during the summer months. 

The museum’s galleries have an open-floor plan, and 1,000 sm of exhibition space will hold permanent and temporary displays. 

“The Modern Art Center not only creates a home for this extraordinary collection, but the design connects the galleries to the street and the urban fabric, giving the citizens of Vilnius a new cultural center infused with public space,” Libeskind said in a statement.

Plans include a cafe, bookstore, auditorium, storage, and rooms for offices and educational use. Construction will begin in 2017, and the center is expected to be completed by early 2019.