Groninger Museum
The art museum in Groningen stands on an island in the canal in front of the station and consists of pavilions in different colours and shapes. Each part was designed by a different designer. The golden tower in the middle looks like a treasure chamber.
Groningen wanted a new art museum and gave the commission to the Italian designer Alessandro Mendini. He invited several designers to design a part each. The museum opened in 1994. It stands on an island in the canal between the railway station and the city centre, and a route for pedestrians and cyclists runs through the museum.
The museum consists of several pavilions. The golden tower in the middle serves as a store for the collections. Mendini designed the main buildings, Michele De Lucchi a part in brick, Philippe Starck a round pavilion and the Austrian group Coop Himmelb(l)au a deconstructivist pavilion with slanting walls and steel. The colours and patterns are strong, and the contrasts between the parts are deliberate.
The museum shows art from different periods and local art from the province. It was renovated in 2010. The Groninger Museum became a symbol of the playfulness of postmodern design and of the idea that a museum can be a collage of different voices.