The contemporary building houses a central warehouse and conservation workshops, spread over two thousand square metres. As well as zones limited to staff, there are public trails leading through the Old Library, Arsenal, Textile Store and Grandmother’s Wardrobe. Unlike traditional exhibitions where meaning is imposed by curators, here visitors are free to explore and interpret their chosen artworks and artefacts. The items are displayed in partially glazed drawers and cabinets, accompanied by a multimedia hall presenting the collection digitalised as part of the Digital Thesaurus project. The glazed corridors also mean that visitors can take a peek at the work conducted by conservators.
“We hope that all visitors to our exhibitions will feel a greater desire to relate to the collections and decide to visit our hermitage – the hermitage we have hailed our treasure trove,” says the museum.
