Warsaw’s Museum of Modern Art has been named “the world’s top opening” by the travel guide Lonely Planet in its rundown of this year’s must-visit cultural institutions.
Better known as MSN, the museum in the Polish capital topped the travel bible’s rankings ahead of the second-placed Yale Center for British Art and The Frick Collection in third.
In its assessment, Lonely Planet wrote: “One of Poland’s youngest and most vibrant institutions has a permanent home at last. Founded only in 2005, MSN Warsaw focuses on works by Polish artists produced in the 20th and 21st centuries, and especially since the end of the Cold War.”
It added: “In its two decades of nomadic exhibitions [MSN] has been unafraid to plunge into the heated political debates of the day.”
Previously housed in temporary locations such as the former Emilia furniture store, the museum moved into its permanent home in central Warsaw last October.
However, it immediately divided public opinion, with some likening the museum's exterior to a logistics warehouse and others to an oversized cargo container.
In its assessment, Lonely Planet wrote: “One of Poland’s youngest and most vibrant institutions has a permanent home at last. Founded only in 2005, MSN Warsaw focuses on works by Polish artists produced in the 20th and 21st centuries, and especially since the end of the Cold War.”
It added: “In its two decades of nomadic exhibitions [MSN] has been unafraid to plunge into the heated political debates of the day.”
Previously housed in temporary locations such as the former Emilia furniture store, the museum moved into its permanent home in central Warsaw last October.
However, it immediately divided public opinion, with some likening the museum's exterior to a logistics warehouse and others to an oversized cargo container.
These misgivings have not been ignored by Lonely Planet: “Directly facing the Stalin-era Palace of Culture and Science in central Warsaw, its massive yet minimalist new building, designed by American architect Thomas Phifer, first opened last fall and drew criticism for what some considered its architectural timidity, even blandness.”
Despite the initial backlash, the building has since won a slew of plaudits for a striking white-on-white interior that features a light-filled, Escher-like double stairwell designed to “draw visitors up to the galleries.”
These themselves are set to open in earnest later this month. Currently showcasing large-scale sculptures and installations by artists such as Magdalena Abakanowicz and Alina Szapocznikow, the museum is set to unveil its permanent collection on February 21.
Despite the initial backlash, the building has since won a slew of plaudits for a striking white-on-white interior that features a light-filled, Escher-like double stairwell designed to “draw visitors up to the galleries.”
These themselves are set to open in earnest later this month. Currently showcasing large-scale sculptures and installations by artists such as Magdalena Abakanowicz and Alina Szapocznikow, the museum is set to unveil its permanent collection on February 21.
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