Guggenheim Vilnius Museum via ejpress
The government of Lithuania has approved the construction of a new contemporary art museum for its capital, Vilnius. If the project reaches it’s fund raising goals, the museum would be a joint project between the Guggenheim and the Russian State Hermitage Museum. The renowned Iraqi architect, Zaha Hadid has been selected to design the building, which is projected to open in 2013.
The Guggenheim Goes East Again [TIME]
Coming Soon: Guggenheim Vilnius [NYSun]
New Hermitage-Guggenheim museum in Vilnius to house centre on ‘Litvaks’ [EJPress]
Lithuania Approves Guggenheim Project [NYTimes]
Zaha Hadid to Design Planned Museum in Lithuania [Bloomberg]
Zaha Hadid via Bloomberg
Zaha Hadid won out in a competition against architects, Daniel Libeskind and Massimiliano Fukass, for the rights to design the museum. The new museum will house a permanent collection from the 1960’s art movement, Fluxus Art, which was headed by Lithuania artist George Maciunas. It will also exhibit art provided by the Guggenheim and Hermitage Museum.
Guggenheim Vilnius via e-architect
Prime Minister, Gediminas Kirkilas has been reported as saying, “This is an important project, in a move to attract tourists to Lithuania. It is also important to Lithuania’s image.” The museum is anticipating about 400,000 visitors per year, 50% of which are expected to be from outside of the country. The government has agreed to cover 10 to 15 percent of the estimated total cost of $117 million.
Video of Guggemheim Vilnius Museum via VilniusMuseum, YouTube
Guggenheim Vilnius Museum via e-architect
