New art center for Isla del Rey. Hauser & Wirth Menorca by Luis Laplace

Hauser & Wirth marks the next July 17 as the date for the inauguration of the new art center of Isla del Rey, located in the Menorcan port of Mahón. The conservation project, led by the architect Luis Laplace and the andscape architect Piet Oudolf, has restored the Langara building to create an exhibition space with eight galleries, a shop, and the ‘Cantina’ restaurant.

The gallery will kick off with an exhibition by Mark Bradford, featuring a series of newly created sculptures and paintings. It will also feature series of talks, workshops, and projections on contemporary art. Also, in its exteriors, there will be a parallel tour of sculptural works by artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Eduardo Chillida, or Franz West.

Hauser & Wirth Menorca por Luis Laplace. Photograph by Be Creative- courtesy Hauser & Wirth

With a two-year conservation project planned by Laplace in collaboration with Oudolf, Hauser & Wirth has succeeded in converting 1,500 square meters of a historic building into a living space; all this respecting the natural interest of Menorca, whose environment has been classified as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.

For this work, Hauser & Wirth Menorca will collaborate with the Foundation for the Preservation of Menorca to guarantee the sustainability of the project; as well as collaborating with the Isla del Rey Hospital Foundation, a local organization that has spearheaded the current restoration of the hospital and created a museum that commemorates its history.

Description of project by Hauser & Wirth

Iwan Wirth, Manuela Wirth, and Marc Payot, co-presidents of Hauser & Wirth, today announced the opening date of 17 July 2021 for the gallery’s new art centre on Isla del Rey, located in the port of Mahon in Menorca. An exhibition by Mark Bradford will inaugurate Hauser & Wirth Menorca, featuring a dynamic suite of new paintings and sculptures. Through a two-year conservation project, Hauser & Wirth has sensitively repurposed existing historic buildings on the island into a 1,500 sq.m. art centre. A sculpture trail will feature the work of Louise Bourgeois, Eduardo Chillida, Franz West and others. A dedicated education programme has been developed to engage both the local community and visitors in contemporary art through screenings, talks, and workshops.

Menorca is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and, in the interest of protecting the unique natural environment of its location, Hauser & Wirth Menorca is partnering with the Menorca Preservation Fund. Environmental sustainability measures of the art centre include rain-water collection protocols, creation of a water plant to reuse water for ground irrigation, and energy efficient climate control for the buildings. Hauser & Wirth is also in partnership with the Fundación Hospital de la Isla del Rey, a local organization which has spearheaded the ongoing restoration of the island’s historic hospital buildings and creation of a museum celebrating their history. Isla del Rey is home to an architecturally imposing decommissioned naval hospital, a group of outbuildings constructed in the 18th century, and the archaeological remains of a basilica dating from the sixth-century AD. Hauser & Wirth’s conservation initiative has restored the hospital’s Langara outbuildings to create an exhibition space with eight galleries, a gallery shop, and the restaurant ‘Cantina’.

‘Iwan, Marc, and I are honoured and excited that Mark Bradford’s exhibition will inaugurate Hauser & Wirth Menorca. Our dream has been to place powerful contemporary art like his within this very special context. Isla del Rey is an extraordinary place of wild nature, beautiful light and sea, with a fascinating history. Our vision to create a cultural hub for Menorca has been realized over a five-year journey, and the enthusiasm shown to us by the Menorcan community and our family of artists has encouraged us at every step of the way. We look forward to welcoming our first visitors this year when we can travel again.’

Manuela Wirth.

‘For the past year it’s felt like we’re living on Mars, masked up, suited up, six feet apart on ground that just won’t stop moving. Eventually you’ve got to decide to move with it, to recognize that the unsteadiness is just a part of the course of history. I’m excited to share this new body of work, and look forward to steadier ground ahead’.

Mark Bradford.

‘Hauser & Wirth’s art centre will have a positive impact for the economy and is an example of the sustainable model we believe in. On behalf of the city of Mahon, I am proud to welcome a project that preserves the historic buildings and sensitively connects with this special place.’

Hector Pons, Mayor of Mahon.

Hauser & Wirth Menorca has been restored by Paris-based, Argentinean architect Luis Laplace, a long-standing collaborator of the gallery. The conservation project has used traditional building materials, such as a typical tiled roof and terrazzo flooring made on site with local stone, and the interior architecture features the restored original wood beams. The internationally acclaimed landscape designer, Piet Oudolf, has created gardens in and around the art centre incorporating native species and planting suited to the Menorcan climate. Laplace and Oudolf were both instrumental in the development of Hauser & Wirth Somerset. Hauser & Wirth has invited a local Menorcan vineyard and restaurant, Binifadet, to run ‘Cantina,’ sourcing seasonal produce.

A space in the old town of Mahon currently serves as Hauser & Wirth’s offices and will become an information hub for the community and visitors. The Director of Hauser & Wirth Menorca, Mar Rescalvo who hails from Menorca, has established local cultural partnerships with the Fundació Menorquina de l’Òpera, Escola d’Art de Menorca, Museu de Menorca, Ateneu de Maó and Festival Pedra Viva.

‘With this project Hauser & Wirth have proven their commitment to Menorca. When we first visited Hauser & Wirth Somerset we saw for ourselves how the art centre became a part of the community. We are inspired to see their vision for a cultural hub on Menorca now become a reality.’

Luis Alejandre, President of the Board, Fundación Hospital de la Isla del Rey.

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Hauser & Wirth Menorca por Luis Laplace. Photograph by Emilio Parra - courtesy Hauser & Wirth

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More information

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Architects

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Luis Laplace.

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Collaborators

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Landscape architect.- Piet Oudolf.

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Client

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Hauser & Wirth.

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Developer

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Menorca Preservation Fund, Hospital de la Isla del Rey Fund.

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Dates

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2021.

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Location

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Menorca, Spain.

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Photography

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Be Creative, Emilio Parra.

Luis Laplace

Founded in 2004 in Paris by Luis Laplace and Christophe Comoy, Laplace has developed an international clientele sensitive to high-end design and execution. Through good use of space and light, design concept based on local cultures and traditions, selection of materials and color as well as passion for art and craftsmanship, Laplace combines modern simplicity with great elegance.

Luis Laplace is an Argentine-trained architect with a sharp eye for interior design, taking an unique approach to unite works of art in a living context. Laplace’s talent rests in in his ability to synthesize art and its surroundings in such a way that both remain distinct and retain their singularity, while entering into a supplementary exchange. His architectural goal is to unite aesthetical and functional spaces that can complement and be enhanced by artworks, revealing unexpected nuances, generating new interpretations and readings, and precipitating an altogether more in-depth engagement with the pieces.

Therefore, our competence goes beyond architecture and focuses on interior architecture as well as decoration. We can design a house from scratch and carry out the project to the ultimate details of everyday living. This “clé en mains” service is a key distinctive characteristic of Laplace.

A successful project demands a constant dialogue with the clients to develop a thorough vision of their goals, aspirations and challenges. This communication is essential to develop trust relationship and to deliver a project in line with clients’ expectations.

Our objective is not only to offer timeless and elegant design but also to give practical solutions to 21st century high-end living challenges. In some instances, Laplace may assist clients in their quest for their ideal home by visiting the house before acquisition, defining budgets for renovation and interiors, setting up a team of experts in charge of delivering the project under Laplace’s supervision, etc.

The Laplace team counts 15 professionals, including architects, interior architects and designers. We rely on an extensive network all over the world of real estate agents, artisans, quantity surveyors, contractors, local architects, etc... This network of professionals allows Laplace to deliver projects on time and on budget all over the world while controlling the execution in line with the design intent. Inspired by both South American modernism and the brutalist movement, Luis Laplace likes to mix French tradition and savoir-faire with vintage furniture, exclusive 20th century antiques and bespoke furniture designed and made in Paris. This furniture line, Laplace Bespoke, is currently shown in our Parisian showroom located place Saint-Georges. The Laplace Showroom is also an exhibition space for vintage furniture and exclusive antiques selected by Luis Laplace and Christophe Comoy.

Piet Oudolf

Piet Oudolf. Considered a renegade in the landscape industry, the Dutch nurseryman Piet Oudolf (1944) has revolutionized the way perennial gardens are designed and viewed in landscapes today. With a new planting style and meticulous attention detail to the plants, Oudolf has forged the ability to break the rules when his eye finds it necessary to do so.

Born on October 27th, 1944 in Haarlem, Netherlands, Piet is known for his warm, generous, and humble openness. Oudolf first discovered his passion for plants after having travelled to England in the 70’s; that trip fueled his imagination to create a different type of garden (Sorin, Gardening gone Wild). At the time, his inspiration was the much talked about Mien Ruys from the Netherlands who was best known for her work at the Tuinen Mien Ruys, a collection of thirty model gardens.

Since 1982, he has lived and worked in Hummelo, a tiny village in east Netherlands, where he started a nursery with his wife Anja, to grow perennials. His garden has since become renowned for its radical approach and ideas about planting design.

With no formal training, he designs through instinct which is inspired from nature. He notes that in a garden, symmetry is easy but balance is trickier to attain, while always seeking to understand what the intent of a design is when looking over an architect’s plan. Using the texture and form of a plant to guide much of his designs, he believes that the color of a plant will fall into place accordingly in the landscape.

It is Oudolf’s innate curiosity, horticultural knowledge, and ability to create and undertake vast, open canvases with a new wave planting style that awarded him the design proposal in 2000 for the Lurie Garden, the world’s largest rooftop garden located inside Millennium Park, Chicago, IL. Working hand and hand with Seattle landscape architecture firm, Gustafson Guthrie Nichol, Piet considers the two and a half acre garden to be his greatest garden to date. He considers his work to be ‘purposeful abandon’, with a very naturalistic feel and appearance, stating that his philosophy while designing the Lurie garden was to bring nature back into the city.

Some of Oudolf’s most influential works in the United States have included the perennial plantings at Battery Park, NY; The Highline perennial plantings, NY; and the Goldman Sachs headquarters, NY. Among the many awards he has received, Oudolf was also the recipient of the prestigious Prince Bernhard Culture Prize, an award given by the Queen of Holland to a person who has contributed something extraordinary to the culture of the county. Oudolf continues to design perennial gardens while also serving as a masterclass in the classroom at numerous prestigious schools around the world.

Oudolf also co-founded Future Plants, a company specialising in selecting, growing, breeding and protecting plants for landscaping and public areas. Oudolf`s recent projects include No. 5 Culture Chanel, Paris, France; The High Line, New York NY; Lurie Garden, Millennium Park, Chicago IL; Serpentine Gallery, London, England, and the Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy.

Oudolf is also a successful author, having co-written numerous books such as; “Planting: A New Perspective” (2013); “Landscapes in Landscapes” (2011); “Gardening with Grasses” (1998); “Designing with Plants and Planting Design” (1999); “Dream Plants for the Natural Garden” (2000); “Planting the Natural Garden” (2003), and “Planting Design: Gardens in Time and Space” (2005). In his 35-year career, Oudolf has achieved international acclaim, and has recently been awarded an Honorary Fellowship from RIBA for developing radical ideas in Planting Design (2012) and the Prince Bernhard Cultural Foundation Award (2013).

Published on: February 21, 2021

Cite: "New art center for Isla del Rey. Hauser & Wirth Menorca by Luis Laplace" METALOCUS. Accessed

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