Kunsthaus Graz

Graz

Universalmuseum Joanneum | The lovingly titled "friendly alien", the Blue Bubble of Graz.

Like a giant drop, it fell in 2003, when Graz was the European Capital of Culture, right in the middle of the city. It became a modern landmark and shines with its biomorphic exterior as well as with the intrinsic values of its exhibitions. "The Friendly Alien," as the Kunsthaus Graz is affectionately called, is connected to the historic "Eiserne Haus." The "Eiserne Haus," built in 1848, was one of the first cast-iron buildings in continental Europe – a department store with large, inviting shop windows. Over the years, it was remodeled several times and was restored to its original state with the construction of the Kunsthaus.
The spectacular architecture of the Kunsthaus Graz leaves no one cold. It is not often that the juxtaposition of traditional urban structure and breathtakingly modern architecture has succeeded as perfectly as in the implementation of this museum for contemporary art in Graz. Like a mysterious blue bubble, the Kunsthaus hovers between the rooftops of the old town – the terms Graz and Kunsthaus have a magnetic pull on visitors.

Sometimes dreams come true. So in 2003, the dream of Graz residents for an art house came true. The building site was cleverly chosen. The right Mur bank, the previously somewhat neglected part of the city. The neighborhood: the Eiserne Haus, a nearly forgotten, as it is hardly visible now, once bold cast-iron construction by the Graz architect Josef Benedict Withalm from 1848.

The pan-European competition for the revitalization of the Eiserne Haus and the addition of an art house was won by British architects Peter Cook and Colin Fournier. The biomorphic structure consciously distinguishes itself in form and material from the gabled houses with their red tiled roofs while reverently embracing the old.

1,066 acrylic glass elements form the outer skin of the Friendly Alien. In the evenings, it sends moving light signals or writings from its BIX facade over the Mur. It draws daylight from the north through the nostril-like nozzles at its top. Needle is the name of the glass viewing platform that spans the east over the Kunsthaus and Eiserne Haus. Inside the Eiserne Haus, one can find a shop, the Kunsthaus Café, administration, and Camera Austria – an institution dedicated to exhibitions and the eponymous photography magazine.

The transparent base of the Kunsthaus houses a media lounge. The travelator, an inclined conveyor belt, draws visitors into the interior of the Alien. This space is quite adaptable, allowing designers flexibility for various exhibitions across two floors. Even though the Kunsthaus indulges in the luxury of only showcasing art from the last four decades.

By the way: Not all portholes face north. One peeks to the east. Through this one, the clock tower, the traditional landmark of the city, is almost brought into the Kunsthaus as an exhibit.