After a long-awaited construction process, the new glistening, white building that's home to the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw finally opened October 25. The place is really something to see. Inside the boxy white building, you'll find twisting, geometric stairs (reminiscent of Escher pieces) and large, white gallery spaces.
For now, many of those spaces still lay empty, but that won't last long. In addition to art from a number of renowned artists
around the world, the museum will be home to a cinema, workshops and talks, and so, so much more.
But what is there now is worth checking out as soon as you can. In one room, find a large fiber work that stretches floor to ceiling by internationally renowned artist Magdalena Abakanowicz. In another, a series of colorful figures lay on the floor - a work by artist Mariela Scafati about women's protests for reproductive rights around the world. Other rooms hold massive modern art pieces involving materials like tent tarp, glass, and iron.
Several rooms also display works from student artists, while the lobby hosts a robust exhibit about different art museums -- and the inspiration behind their designs -- around the world.
And the space itself is really a work of art as well. Taking up four storeys and 20,000 m2 (including over 4,000 m2 of gallery area), the museum was designed by the New York City-based architecture studio Thomas Phifer and features exhibition spaces, educational areas for lectures and workshops, conservation and restoration workshops, a cinema, an auditorium, a café, and a museum shop.
In addition to those twisting stairs we mentioned above, you'll find gorgeous skylights in many of the rooms, along with lofty ceilings and large windows that stretch along the building. Stop and marvel at the Palace of Culture, which is perfectly framed by several of these windows on the first and second floors.
In addition, there are areas for reflection -- giant bamboo doors open to several little rooms around the museum, all covered in bamboo with large windows to stare out at the city. These quiet rooms offer spaces to relax and reflect on what you've seen.
The Plac Defilad spot is now the primary home to the museum, which has had previous locations on the Vistula and on Pańska 3. It will undoubtedly hold a whole host of exhibitions and performances as time goes on -- prepare to visit again and again.
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