sosno + rytis daukantas: sosno art gallery building

french sculptor sosno and lithuanian architect rytis daukantas have collaborated to create the ‘sosno art gallery building’, a large scale adaption which transforms the ‘la paille dans l’œil du voisin’ sculpture into a habitable space for the city of nice, france. the 22 meter tall structure will contain 600 square meters of program arranged within six unique floor plates. the concealed core positioned within the head and shoulders contains a framework to stabilize the cantilevered wings illustrating the wooden beam which intersects the face of the bust.

exterior perspective

clad with glass and shaded with wooden louvers to evoke the essence of the original art piece, the projection’s volume is transformed into four levels of art galleries accessed by the central stair and elevator within the vertical circulation. additional areas include a souvenir store, multimedia room, restrooms and conference hall capable of accommodating 45 individuals. rooms are carefully integrated to ensure universal accessibility for every visitor while minimizing wasted space due to the irregular exterior shell. an outdoor balcony opens to the roof providing patrons with views of the seaside, mountains and construction underfoot.

aerial perspective

born in 1937, sosno established himself as an artist of the new realism movement, initiating his personal style of obliterated or distorted paintings, sculptures or buildings which required the imagination of the viewer to complete the depiction. the artist’s first landmark inhabited statue, the 26 meter tall ‘tete carree’ was completed in nice, france in the mid 1980s.

section perspective

exploded axon and structural framework

interior perspectives

image of sosno’s original sculpture

floor plan / level 0

floor plan / level 1

floor plan / level 2

floor plan / level 3

floor plan / level 4

floor plan / level 5

floor plan / level 6

sections

video courtesy of rytis daukantas

project info:

architect: rytis daukantas sculptor: sosno location: nice, alpes-maritimes, france materials: steel structure, aluminum sculpture, tempered glass, wood louver building area: 600m²