Musée Malraux, Le Havre France

The Museum Malraux Le Havre sits like a lighthouse on the edge of the coast of upper Normandy with the industrial city to one side and the historic downtown on the other side. Industrial-looking on one hand, with brutal glass and steel and a look-out tower, the museum securely holds historic art treasures of the town and gestures the visitor inside.

In 1999 Laurent Baudoin and Barclay & Crousse renovated this 1961 modernist structure, further reinforcing the relationships between the ocean, city, and museum. After grouping public spaces, the designers used transparency as a device, gesturing all views toward the permanent 16th-20th century collections and creating a sunny, bright circulation that contrasts the darker gallery space.

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(featured image by tetedelart1855 on flickr/creative commons)