Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre, art museum in New Plymouth, New Zealand
The Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre is an art museum in the centre of New Plymouth, presenting contemporary art alongside the work of Len Lye across two connected sections. The building houses gallery spaces, a small cinema and learning rooms, all wrapped in a distinctive stainless steel exterior.
The Govett-Brewster Art Gallery opened in 1970 after Monica Brewster left her art collection and funds for a gallery building to the city of New Plymouth. The Len Lye Centre was added in 2015, following Lye's decision to place his works and archive with the city and the creation of a foundation to care for them.
The centre is named after Len Lye, a New Zealand-born artist who worked with motion, film and kinetic sculpture, and his presence shapes everything on show here. Visitors can see his works directly and notice how his ideas still run through the contemporary art shown in the connected gallery.
The two sections of the museum are directly connected, so you can move between the gallery and the Len Lye Centre without leaving the building. The spaces are well lit and clearly laid out, which makes it easy to find your way around during a visit.
The stainless steel shell of the building was designed to echo Lye's own sculptures, using the same material he worked with throughout his career. The small cinema inside screens not only his films but also experimental and independent works, giving it its own programme beyond his archive.
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