Jean Nouvel Unveils Plans for Huge Chinese National Art Museum

Designs from architect Jean Nouvel for the National Art Museum of China (NAMOC) have been revealed, showing modern and airy rectangular structures in the heart of Beijing’s cultural district, Olympic Park. The museum will sit in the nexus of the Forbidden City, neighboring the famous 2008 Olympic Bird’s Nest stadium, reports Designboom.

Its footprint will span roughly 323,000 square feet and will house a variety of important collections from the Ming dynasty to the present day. The institution will have a range of permanent and temporary galleries, research and educational centers, and public spaces including a grand terrace, an indoor garden, as well as an auditorium—features that have seemingly become indispensable in new museum designs (see “Shigeru Ban Will Build Tree-Filled Art Museum in Taiwan“).

The indoor garden is protected by a filter-like white structure that looks almost weightless, while the museum’s Summer Hall will have gold ceilings that reference the history of Chinese art from the 15th century to the present day. The array of collectins to be displayed in the new institution will be decided by both Chinese and international specialists.

So far, the museum’s estimated opening date has not been announced.

Enormous though this project may be, it isn’t even Nouvel’s most high-profile museum job at the moment. His Abu Dhabi outpost for the Louvre is in the works (see “300 French Artworks for Louvre Abu Dhabi“), and a recent air rights deal has set the stage for his MoMA tower to rise in New York see (“MoMA Skyscraper Set to Rise with $85 Million Air Rights Purchase“).


Follow Artnet News on Facebook:


Want to stay ahead of the art world? Subscribe to our newsletter to get the breaking news, eye-opening interviews, and incisive critical takes that drive the conversation forward.