The fractured tectonic of the new Santiago Ydáñez Museum, in the town of Puente de Génave, Spain expresses the elemental and primary relations between the work of the artist, the site and the building programme.

Conceptually a jazz improvisation, the intersection of the integrated and sculpted grids is conceived as a musical rhythm, where the new museum becomes a reactive and interactive part of its landscaped setting.

The artist’s expressive and forceful works are represented through a ‘dance of loose gestures’, and the new museum represents the musicality and juxtaposition of these gestures. As the artist discovers that repetitive motion can evolve into improvisation, the architectural language introduces three constituents of jazz music: rhythm, proportion and improvisation, to construct a tense, concentrated and unexpected ensemble.

The inherent properties of jazz music and its inventiveness are translated into an apparently fragmented architecture, offering a series of fluid architectural connections, where spaces are designed to be reconstructed and continually reinvented. Just like in Ydáñez’s paintings, the weaving of these circulation spaces creates interconnected impromptu meeting spaces that explore the common attitudes and behaviours that we share with other creatures. Here, cross-axial views and physical connections provide opportunities for unexpected visual relationships, platforms for improvisation and workshops that become centres for knowledge and its dissipation.

The main volume that houses the permanent collection, cantilevered over the entrance as a dynamic portal, represents the artist’s desire to provide an engagement with his work. With energetic monumentality, the gallery reaches out and connects to the fabric of the city with its bold architectural identity.

To encourage permeability, public functions are distributed across the entire site. Glimpses of the tranquil interior and the landscaped setting are framed through visual corridors from the city, and the agitated and fragmented architectural form of the new museum becomes a cultural and social landmark for contemporary art.

Name: Museum Santiago Ydáñez
Architects: Matteo Cainer Architects
Location: Puente de Génave, Spain
Programme: Museum of Contemporary Art Santiago Ydáñez
Client: Ayuntamiento de Puente De Génave
Project Size: 4,600 m2
MCA Principal: Matteo Cainer
MCA Team: Edouard Molinari