With two new artworks by the American artists James Turrell and a donation from the New Carlsberg Foundation, ARoS Aarhus Art Museum is ready to take the next step towards the future expansion project titled The Next Level.
The Next Level consists of several elements: a 1200-square-metere gallery, complete with storeroom facilities, and two artworks by James Turrell (born 1943), The Sphere and The Dome. The extension is physically linked to the existing building with access to the underground artworks and gallery via the current special exhibition lobby, in the opposite side to the current location of Ron Mueck’s sculpture Boy.
Both James Turrell’s works are integrated into the architecture. The Sphere is a spherical light installation, which the audience will pass through or go around in order to get to the new gallery. From the gallery, visitors continue into the Pantheon-inspired The Dome, where a circular hole in the ceiling offers a view of the sky above.
‘It is a great pleasure to be able to donate DKK 20 million to realize the planned extension at ARoS. James Turrell is one of the world’s leading artists, and his works will underscore ARoS’s position as an important actor on the international art scene,’ says Karsten Ohrt, chairman of the New Carlsberg Foundation.
In 2001, the New Carlsberg Foundation donated DKK 40 million to Aarhus Art Museum for purchasing artworks, thus contributing to the museum’s transformation to ARoS. Similarly, the foundation hopes that this recent donation can provide a push in the right direction towards the realization of The Next Level.
The total cost of the extension is estimated at DKK 230 million. A donation of DKK 100 million from Købmand Herman Sallings Fond is already in place. The construction work is carried out in cooperation with the City of Aarhus, Department of Culture and Citizens Service. The extension is scheduled to be completed in 2018.
About James Turrell
Since the 1960s, the American artist James Turrell (born 1943) has worked with light, colour and spatial installations. Today, he is recognized worldwide as a leader in his field with permanent installations in more than 26 countries. Turrell is a trained psychologist and has also studied mathematics, geology and astronomy. As a common theme, his works embrace and enclose the audience in light and colour effects controlled by the artist.
James Turrell’s best-known work is Roden Crater – an extinct volcano in the desert in Arizona that has been turned into the world’s largest work of art.