
Photography: Ateliers Jean Nouvel
/ John Offenbach
A Briton from France
The 10th temporary pavilion at London’s Serpentine Gallery is the work of architect Jean Nouvel, and radiates steely strength.
The bright red colouring pays homage to London and its hallmarks – the traditional phone boxes, double-decker buses and post boxes.
This year’s Serpentine Gallery pavilion was designed by the renowned French architect Jean Nouvel, and plays with opposites.
Light materials such as polycarbonate and fabric are combined with heavy steel structures, while a diagonal freely standing wall projects 12 metres over the lawn, offering a dramatic contrast to the horizontal roof below.
The building is open at each side and can be accessed by anybody. As well as art fans, sports enthusiasts have also been dropping in, as in line with French table tennis tradition, the pavilion is also home to a number of tables.
Nouvel is the tenth architect to have been commissioned by gallery director Julia Peyton-Jones to come up with design for the Serpentine gallery, which is housed in a former tea house.
Prominent predecessors include such luminaries as Zaha Hadud, Daniel Libeskind and Olafur Eliasson.
The red artistic space features a café and auditorium and will host events and exhibitions for the gallery until 17 October, before being sold to the highest bidder. After that, the competition will begin for the next year.
Text: Kim Leclaire
Information
Serpentine Gallery
Kensington Gardens, London W2 3XA,
Tel. +44 207 402 60 75, http://www.serpentinegallery.org/