NArchitekTURA displays rembrandt's masterpiece on curved plywood in krakow's castle

NArchitekTURA’s ‘Picture within a Picture’ exhibition in poland

NArchitekTURA studio designed a unique exhibition hall for Rembrandt’s masterpiece ‘The Polish Rider’ in Wawel Royal Castle, Krakow. The distinctive design of the contemporary showcase differentiates from both the historic surroundings of the Palace on the Isle in Warsaw and those of its permanent home at the Frick Collection in New York. A fluid plywood screen centers Rembrandt’s canvas in a tailor-made exposition space. The curved forms of the wooden walls contrast with the orthogonal outline of the existing room and the checkered marble floor. The shape of this lightweight arched screen was inspired by a single, flowing line that can be noticed in Rembrandt’s sketches, paintings, and engravings. The outwardly curving spatial arrangement illustrates the enigmatic story depicted in the painting.

two oval openings reference Rembrandt’s self-portrait with two circles | all images by Anna Stankiewicz, Bartosz Haduch

warm reflections hue Rembrandt’s oeuvre on curved screen

The coiled screen molds two oval openings in an indirect reference to Rembrandt’s ‘Self-Portrait with Two Circles’. In the first opening, the painting transforms into an ‘inner’ window onto the world of art and the artist’s imagination. In the second, on the opposite side of the room, a lamp emitting light similar to the glow of the setting sun symbolically complements the Dutch Old Master’s work. Creating the illusion of a source of natural light, the warm-hued reflections are visible on the canvas. The exhibition hall lit up in discreet and delicate luminance is in dialogue with Rembrandt’s painting. Conflicting the pale material of the wall, the canvas flaunts captivating tonality. The design of this intimate exhibition is intended to allow a certain freedom of perception and interpretation of the speculated and mysterious ‘Polish Rider’. NArchitekTURA‘s spatial elements attempt to initiate a multilayered dialogue between the exhibited work of art and the wider context of the artist’s oeuvre in the castle’s historic interiors.

two oval windows in a plywood wall are cut from solid wood

the exhibition was designed in one of the historic halls of the Wawel royal castle in Krakow

the curved lightweight screen was inspired by a flowing line noticed in Rembrandt’s sketches and engravings

the curved wall of plywood contrasts with the existing checkerboard floor of white and black marble

the emitted light symbolically complements the painting, creating the illusion of natural sunlight

semi-reflective stained walls emphasize and reflect the discreet illumination of the interior

indirect and direct light effects are inspired by the mastery of light and shadow in Rembrandt’s works

lighting installation giving the illusion of the setting sun

project info:

name: The King’s Rembrandt at Wawel Castle: ‘The Polish Rider’ from The Frick Collection
design studio: NArchitekTURA – Bartosz Haduch

exhibition design: NArchitekTURA – Bartosz Haduch, Łukasz Marjański

exhibition curation: Xavier Salomon, Joanna Winiewicz-Wolska

exhibition coordination: Julianna Karp, Kama Guzik

visual identity: Anna Szwaja

photography: Anna Stankiewicz, Bartosz Haduch

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom