32 DIGS.NET
| 4.22.2022
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R E S T O R E D | B O U R S E D E C O M M E R C E
NE IS IN good company to believe that, archi-
tecturally, there is very little—perhaps nothing
at all—that Japanese architect Tadao Ando
cannot do. Churches, temples, houses, centers
of culture—his range of work is as legendary as
the man himself. His affection for empty space,
natural materials and organic forms makes Ando
an undisputed standard-bearer of minimalism in
the modern day. The fact is, however, that the famously self-
taught Pritzker Prize-winner does some of his most remarkable
work when wading into the waters of the past, evidenced by his
architectural interventions of the exhibition space Wrightwood
659, a Frank Lloyd Wright redo in Chicago, and more recently of
the Bourse de Commerce building, which he transformed into a
spectacular contemporary art museum.
Located in the heart of Paris, France, the former 19th century
commodities exchange building, with architectural associations
to the Medici column and an astonishing metal and glass dome,
now houses a range of contemporary artwork within historic walls.
A Pinault Collection venue, Bourse de Commerce is the latest
creative endeavor of French magnate and art lover François
Pinault, who commissioned Ando to head its epic three-year
overhaul. In a city tripping over itself with grand galleries and
prodigious art, it would take an undertaking of rigorous thought
and relentless pursuit to make a newcomer shine. He had the
edifice, but in appointing Ando to the project, Pinault planted a
rather formidable flag. This building would be great.
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