ABSTRACT
This chapter shifts the focus of attention from the urban to the rural museum, and explores it through the original building of the Kröller-Müller Museum in the Netherlands, and Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark, both of which are often seen as models for a modest and humane view of museum architecture (Tate Gallery, 1994, p.2; Brawne, 1993, p.11). The two museums again share intriguing similarities, which set the background for exploring their divergences: both were founded by collectors with a vision and passion, who, besides defining the character of the collection, were closely involved in the design of the buildings as spatial expressions of their different concepts of the museum; both have evolved gradually with extensions and additions and are set in an attractive natural setting, overlaying art with nature; and both are at a distance from an urban centre, so their visit constitutes a destination in itself. Our analysis suggests that the two museums illustrate contrasting explorations of identical themes, one of the most obvious being the opposite ways in which they resolve the tension between architecture, art and nature: while the Kröller-Müller building severs the visitors from views outside, promoting an undistracted appreciation of art, Louisiana brings landscape views indoors, displaying them in juxtaposition to art. Exploring these oppositions, in relation to the concepts and intentions of the founders, and in the light of their observed consequences for patterns of use, the analysis will seek to clarify how the layout of space and objects are used to communicate the intended messages and experiences, each in a distinctive way.
