Garage Museum of Contemporary Art
| Established | 2008 |
|---|---|
| Location | 9/45 Krymsky Val St. at Gorky Park, Moscow, Russia |
| Type | Art museum |
| Director | Anton Belov |
| Website | Building details |
| General information | |
| Completed | 1968 |
| Renovated | 2015 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Koolhaas, Rem |
The Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, also referred to as The GARAGE Museum (formerly The Garage Center for Contemporary Culture), is a major art museum whose present location is in Gorky Park, Moscow, Russia. It is the permanent home of an expanding collection of Modern and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions throughout the year. The museum was established in 2008 by Dasha Zhukova as a non-profit project of The IRIS Foundation.[1]
The Museum is the origin for the namesake of Garage Magazine, also founded by Zhukova, who was formerly editor-in-chief of Pop.
In 2015, the Museum moved to its current building, designed by architect Rem Koolhaas and utilizing the former structure of the historical 1968 Vremena Goda (Seasons of the Year) Soviet Modernist restaurant.
The Museum's collection is founded upon the private collections of Dasha Zhukova and Roman Abramovich. The institution now serves as a major venue for exhibitions, events, art research, and publishing, with a stated purpose to reflect current developments in Russian and international culture as well as creating opportunities for public dialogue in Moscow. The Museum’s collection is said to be the first archive in the country focusing on the history of Russian Contemporary Art from the 1950s through the present.[2]
History
The Bakhmetevsky Bus Garage
The Museum was initially housed in the Bakhmetevsky Bus Garage (also in Moscow), designed by the Constructivist architect Konstantin Melnikov and from which the institution's name originates. This first venue opened in 2008 under the direction of Dasha Zhukova, in the newly renovated 8,500-square foot structure. Zhukova had obtained the lease of Konstantin Melnikov's constructivist landmark from its owners, the Federation of Jewish Communities, originally naming the museum space as The Garage Center For Contemporary Culture.[3]
An invitation-only opening ceremony was held June 12, 2008 with a private performance by Amy Winehouse.[4]
In its original location, the Garage Museum swiftly rose to prominence, showcasing work by artists such as Mark Rothko, Anthony Gormley, Cindy Sherman, Jeff Koons, and Takashi Murakami as well as being the primary host to the Third Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art, curated by Jean-Hubert Martin in 2009. During the Biennale, the Garage Museum brought in over 100,000 visitors each month.[5]
The garage building as of 2012 is the permanent home of The Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center.[6]
Present Location
In 2012, the Museum relocated to a temporary pavilion designed by architect Shigeru Ban in Gorky Park; in June 2015, the Museum officially opened its current permanent location.[7]
References
Notes
- ↑ Wilson, Eric. "Art and Fashion in Dasha Zhukova's Garage". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
- ↑ About the Museum (official site Retrieved August 1, 2015.
- ↑ Kamenev, Marina."Garage Makes Its Debut", September 19, 2008, The Moscow Times. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
- ↑ "Amy Winehouse in Russia billionaire gig", June 12, 2008, Reuters. Accessed August 1, 2015
- ↑ Ioffe, Julia."Garage Mechanics", September 27, 2010, The New Yorker. Retrieved August 1, 2015
- ↑ Loiko, Sergei L."Russian Jewish museum opens in Moscow" November 11, 2012,The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 1, 2015
- ↑ "Dasha Zhukova's New Garage Museum Delivers Social Engagement But No Politics", Artnet, 11 June 2015.