Musée d´Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean (Mudam)

Profil

Mudam is the foremost museum dedicated to contemporary art in Luxembourg, and strives to be attentive to every discipline and open to the whole world. Its collection and programme reflect current artistic trends and appreciate the emergence of new artistic practices on a national and international scale.

The building, by famous Sino-American architect Ieoh Ming Pei, is a marvellous dialogue between the natural and historical environment. Standing against the vestiges of Fort Thüngen, it follows the course of the former surrounding walls, and is rooted in the Park Dräi Eechelen (planned by landscapists, Michel Desvigne) which offers magnificent views onto the old town just a short walk from the European district of Kirchberg.

The simple volumes and generous spaces of the building show the mastery of the architectural language by the famous architect in combining stone and glass. The skillful play between interior and exterior, multiplying the selected views onto the park environment whilst opening onto the sky thanks to the audacious glass canopy, is highlighted through the use of the covering in Magny Doré, a honey-coloured limestone which assumes, at any time of the day and in all seasons, subtle nuances depending on the light which it reflects. The museum is spread over three levels of 4,500 m2 of surface area dedicated to the visits. Its construction was begun in January 1999 and it was inaugurated on 1 July 2006.

The cultural project of Mudam is based on a conception of art seen at a poetical distance from the world. Its key words are freedom, innovation, a critical mind, and all this, not devoid of humour. The programme favours every vector of expression while questioning our habits and our representations. It aims to capture not only a way of contemporary thinking, but also the aesthetic language of an age to come.