Leeum Museum of Art
Mario Botta + Jean Nouvel + OMA / Rem Koolhaas · Seoul, South Korea · 2004
Leeum brings three distinct architectural approaches together within one museum campus. Mario Botta’s masonry volume houses traditional Korean art, Jean Nouvel’s darker glass-and-metal building contains modern and contemporary collections, and OMA designed the education and public component. Rather than forcing visual uniformity, the complex uses the contrast between the buildings to mirror the institution’s broad collection. Opened in 2004 on a steep Hannam-dong site, Leeum became one of Seoul’s most important privately funded cultural institutions and an unusual collaboration between several major international architects.