The project features a clay-red envelope, creating a mosaic of local stone that, according to Francis Kéré, is inspired by the red rock landscape of the Mojave Desert surrounding the city: “the history and spirit of the city and the beauty of its natural surroundings.”
Kéré’s design includes a canopy that extends over the entrance plaza, creating a unique shaded area. A grand, curved entrance staircase runs through the center of the museum and is visible from the building’s windows, transforming the interior core into a canyon from which visitors ascend to galleries that appear to float on the second floor. The architect has partnered with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) as the architect of record.
A concept sketch for the Las Vegas Museum of Art by Kéré Architecture. Image courtesy of Las Vegas Museum of Art.
The Las Vegas Museum of Art (LVMA) will be a gathering place for the community and a beacon for the cultural world. LVMA will be the city’s first independent art museum, serving more than 2.4 million Las Vegas residents year-round and tens of millions of visitors from around the world.
Kéré’s design will reflect the influence of the modern Guardian Angel Cathedral, which architect Paul Revere Williams built in Las Vegas in 1963. Williams, the first Black architect to join the American Institute of Architects, helped shape architecture in Southern California when celebrity clients such as Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball, and Cary Grant sought him out.
Francis Kéré straddles the worlds of art and architecture. He designed the 2017 Serpentine Galleries Pavilion, becoming the first architect of African descent to receive this honor, and also participated in the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2016 and 2018. The Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Architekturmuseum in Munich, and the ICO Museum in Madrid have all hosted solo exhibitions of his work.
