In Vilnius, a new art museum designed by Libeskind has opened

Vilnius - A new modern art museum designed by American architect Daniel Libeskind opened to the public today in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius. The institution, known by the acronym MO, will showcase around 5,000 works of modern Lithuanian art from 1950 to the present in its permanent exhibitions. The construction was initiated by Lithuanian philanthropist and art collector Viktoras Butkus and his wife.

The realization of the museum, which is Libeskind's first building in the Baltics, cost 15 million euros (388 million CZK). It offers over 3,500 m² of exhibition space for both permanent and temporary exhibitions, and also provides an auditorium, classrooms, a bookstore, and a café for visitors.

The geometric building in the historic center of Vilnius appears very sober from the outside due to its large white surfaces and glazing, but it surprises on the inside with a monumental entrance hall dominated by a dramatically shaped staircase, wrote the Archinect website. An open rooftop terrace is also expected to be a magnet for visitors.

Seventy-two-year-old Libeskind is among the world's architectural stars. Throughout his career, he has designed, among other things, Jewish museums in San Francisco and Berlin, the City Museum in Osnabrück, a new wing for the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and expansions for museums in Denver and Toronto. He is also the author of the One World Trade Center skyscraper, built on the site of the collapsed buildings of the New York World Trade Center (WTC).