The Depot is why I decided to go back to Rotterdam. I read about it in reference to the V&A opening something similar to the Depot in London. These concepts of exhibiting these non-masters artifacts in a more informal way is a clever way to show the public how much museums do to collect and document. In truth, we don’t always know what will be relevant in the future.
And so I was surprised to see a Bruegel and a Picasso side by side- it was a lesson they were teaching in whether one would value art without first knowing the artist. It is a valid question considering the charter of this place.
I would recommend taking the elevator up. Maybe more than one if time allows as there are so many surprises along the way. The exhibition display in this central hall does such a great job to leverage all the space and there is quite a bit of fun at play here.
And the fun continues outside on the roof. The magnificent mirror material covers almost the whole curved building also wraps the top floor exterior that reflects without a glare the surrounding trees giving a sense of being a bit lost- careful to stay on the path though the mirror draws you into a forest that doesn’t exist. There are some great views of Rotterdam all around.
Take a moment to feast your eyes… look down…
… look around …
… and as always, look above. I’m sure if they could have spec-ed the floors of the stairs to be glass they would have (and maybe should have).
A fun pop of color, though still in the transparency theme with the pink lockers.
The park adjacent to the Depot is lovely and I wish I had more time to explore. I really didn’t know what to expect (as intended) and I was shocked by it all. Wowed into speechlessness I gave yet another win to MVRDV for showing the world that humans can still ignite the best kind of wonder and curiosity.
Address: Museumpark 24, 3015 CX Rotterdam, Netherlands
Website: Museum website ; MVRDV write up
ofallthespaces 