The Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (MNBAQ) has unveiled the candidates selected by the jury to move on to the final stage of the architectural design competition launched last March.
The four Quebec and international groups selected are: Agence Spatiale and BGLA, CCM2 and BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group), FABG, as well as STGM in collaboration with Cobe.
In the second phase of the architectural design competition, the four selected groups will be asked to develop their functional solution, while taking into consideration the project’s requirements as well as its technical and budgetary constraints.
Once this exercise is complete, the jury will select the proposal that best meets the project’s needs and criteria for excellence. The winning firm will be announced at the end of the summer of 2022, just in time for the launch of Jean Paul Riopelle’s centenary celebrations.
The MNBAQ is working in collaboration with the Jean Paul Riopelle Foundation on the project. The Government of Québec is contributing $20 million for the creation of Espace Riopelle, which is matched by a donation from patrons of the Jean Paul Riopelle Foundation of $20 million for the construction of the new pavilion.
The MNBAQ Foundation has also committed $2.5 million to the project, thanks to private sector contributions. A fundraising campaign will be launched in the summer of 2022.
The inauguration of Espace Riopelle, scheduled for 2025, will be the culmination of the celebrations surrounding Jean Paul Riopelle’s centenary.
The building will permanently house the world’s largest public collection of works by Jean Paul Riopelle, enhanced last December thanks to a historic donation of collections worth over $100 million from Riopelle Foundation founders.