The exhibition in the Prague gallery showcases the construction of the Enzo Ferrari Museum

photo: studio129

Prague - The process of constructing one of the last works of renowned British-Czech architect Jan Kaplický, from the first sketches to the final construction modifications, is documented in an exhibition at the Prague Gallery Zdeněk Sklenář. Visitors can view photographs and models of the Enzo Ferrari Museum, the famous automotive designer and racer, which was ceremonially opened in March in Modena, Northern Italy, until September 1.
    "It is the first exhibition in the world that shows how such a museum comes to life," said gallery owner Sklenář today at the opening. The wife of the late architect, Eliška Kaplicky, pointed out how much time and effort it takes to build such a work. "I am proud that they succeeded in Italy," she stated.
    Gallery visitors can look at several dozen sketches and photographs that illustrate various phases of the museum's construction. They can also view footage of construction details and the completed work. There are images of Kaplický and his colleagues from the London studio Future Systems, who brought the new building to life.
    The Enzo Ferrari Museum is an unmistakable structure. The gallery lights up from afar with its bright yellow undulating roof, reminiscent of the hood of a legendary car. Together with the reconstructed birth house of Ferrari, it is set to become one of the largest tourist attractions of the two-hundred-thousand-strong city nicknamed "the motor metropolis".
    Future Systems was involved in the project from 2004, when it won the competition against seven other candidates. The jury was attracted by the futuristic design with characteristic undulating curves and references to the design of Ferrari cars that were to be displayed in the museum.
    Behind the glass façade lies an open exhibition space designed to highlight individual cars as artworks. Additionally, the building also houses a café, a bookstore, a research center with an archive and library, a conference hall, and a small cinema. The authors also emphasize that the construction used the most modern technologies and is very environmentally friendly – for heating, geothermal energy is utilized, for instance.
    Kaplický did not live to see the beginning of construction in Modena; he died three months before the laying of the cornerstone in January 2009. His colleague from Future Systems, Italian architect Andrea Morgante, who founded his own studio Shiro Studio in 2009, oversaw the realization.