NEWS FE ATURE
LIGHTS CAMERA ACTION! As the much-anticipated Renzo Piano-designed Academy Museum of Motion Pictures opens in Los Angeles, Tom Walker zooms in for a close-up
Italian architect Renzo Piano designed the Academy Museum
T
he Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, US has opened at last – the muchanticipated attraction was slated to open in December
2020 and then in early 2021, but the
photo: Renzo Piano Building Workshop/Academy Museum Foundation/Image from L’Autre Image
launch was moved on both occasions due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Academy Museum – designed by Pritzker-prize winning architect Renzo Piano – is dedicated to the art and science of movies and is described as being “simultaneously immersive, experimental, educational, and entertaining”, while offering experiences and insights into movies and moviemaking. The museum occupies the historic Saban Building, formerly known as the May Company building, which was originally designed by Albert C. Martin, Sr. and opened in 1939. The building, an example of Streamline Moderne architecture, houses the largest institution in the US devoted to the arts, sciences, and artists of moviemaking. Spread across six floors, the museum includes exhibition spaces, a 288-seat Ted Mann Theater, the Shirley Temple Education Studio,
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attractionsmanagement.com ISSUE 3 2021
