Work is well underway on the Renzo Piano-designed Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. The project is defined by an eye-catching glazed building and will be devoted to celebrating the art and science of movies when it opens later this year.
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which also involved Studio Pali Fekete Architects during the design stage, is located within the Los Angeles County Museum of Art campus and consists of two main parts: a renovation of the iconic Saban Building (aka May Company Building) already on the site, plus Piano's roughly spherical new addition.
The project involves refreshing the 1930s building's facade and golden detailing, while the new building will be connected by glazed bridges.
Structurally, the new building consists of concrete and steel, plus 1,500 custom-made glass panels cut into 146 different shapes and sizes by Austrian firm Saint-Gobain. Its interior will host a 1,000 seat theater and a rooftop terrace offering choice views of the Hollywood Hills.
The bulk of the museum's exhibition space will be located in the old Saban Building though. The Academy Museum Foundation has been busy collecting pieces to display since 2008 and the exhibitions will include examples of motion picture technology, iconic costume design, production design, makeup and hairstyling, and, of course, Oscars statuettes.
"We cannot wait to welcome the whole world to the Academy Museum," says Academy Museum Director Bill Kramer. "When our doors open on December 14, our thrilling combination of exhibitions, screenings, and public and educational programs will create unparalleled experiences for movie lovers everywhere."
Los Angeles is also slated to receive another cinema-related museum in the form of George Lucas' Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, designed by MAD Architects. The project began construction back in 2018 and is expected to be completed in 2021.
Source: Academy Museum