There’s been a lot of talk about the Louvre’s export to Abu Dhabi. (Slated to open in 2014, the museum is designed by Pritzer Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, and will be located on Saadiyat Island alongside other landmark museums.) But did you know that the Louvre is also opening an outpost in northern France this year?
We recently checked out the “Alexander the Great” exhibit at the Louvre in Paris-- the world’s most visited museum with a record 8.8 million visitors in 2011-- where a banner in the welcome hall reminded us about the Louvre-Lens. This new satellite branch in the industrial city of Lens will bring an influx of visitors to the northern region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais, decentralizing the Louvre’s massive core art collection and making it accessible to folks outside of the Ile-de-France. It’s to be noted that the museum’s location makes for an easy day-trip from London St Pancras.
Housed in a stunning building designed by Japanese architects SANAA with American architects Imrey Culbert, the Louvre-Lens will open on December 4, 2012. For more information, check out www.louvrelens.fr/en.
Image via Dezeen Magazine