The Maxxi

A fairly typical Roman exterior, you might think....

but not once you step through these gates....

this is the Maxxi, Rome's brand-new museum of twenty first century art and architecture

designed by Zaha Hadid.

A gem

a work of art,

a masterpiece

a complex structure that works very well.

We enter the foyer

detail

the Zaha Hadid sofas, featured in this blog before, but in a dentist's waiting room last time

the reception area

but it is when you look up that the beauty of the building really hits you

and a slightly different view

and another

the stairs leading up

and now we have reached the first floor.

Another look at the magnificent curvy staircase

On the landing we find  'Ship of Fools' by Jake and Dino Chapman,

looking closer

'Redundancy Following Closure' by Liam Gillick

Italian Art of the 20th century in one of the exhibition rooms

Moving on to the next exhibition room

'Memory Drawing V', by Nikhil Chopra - part of the Indian Art of the 20th century exhibition

looking out

looking up

looking down

looking up again.

As we leave the museum we get to the unfinished courtyard

past this installation of cut, two-dimentional tree trunks

to the restaurant where we had the most delicious lunch.