Ahead of June 11th's anticipated debut of the new National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design in Oslo, architectural photographer Iwan Baan has traveled to Norway to preview one of the year's most important cultural projects.

His photos reveal the slate grey 587,700-square-foot vision of architect Klaus Schuwerk, whose creation is the largest of its kind in the entire Nordic region. Said to be a scale so large it is considered hard to comprehend the structure until viewed from above. 

The process of consolidating disparate collections of art under one roof took time. Beginning in 2010, the new institution's hybrid collection was taken from its former home in a historic 1882 structure and reimagined inside a new 86 gallery upgrade. The new structure is joined by two preexisting 19th-century buildings that were former train stations. The addition of a rectangular, translucent volume called the Light Hall, can be found on top of the new museum structure which will house temporary exhibitions. Cafes, a shop, rooftop terrace, and the largest art library in Norway are also found within the museum.

The Museum houses a robust, 6,500-work inventory of world-class art and design, including Edvard Munch's most famous work, "The Scream." It will serve as the Vestbanen anchor to Oslo's Fjord City revitalization project, which is now nearing completion following two years of Covid-related delays. 

Museum Director Karin Hindsbo shares, "With this new building, Norway now has a modern museum with classic qualities, a new home for Norway's largest collection of art, architecture, and design. It enables us to show more of the collection than ever before, with spaces for temporary exhibitions of entirely new formats on an international scale."

The Museum celebrates Norway from the inside out. The building's facade is constructed with Norwegian slate and is an example of a FutureBuilt pilot project that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50%. 

Hindsbo shared with TheArtNewspaper in advance of the opening, "For a Norwegian audience, I would say pride. To be extremely proud of what we've got in Norway, what kind of collection. What kind of cultural nation we've become and have been, for a lot longer than Norwegians probably think." She continues, "we need to work closely together to maintain the momentum that we've got now. To have art take another position in society. And also to use art to make Norway assume a position internationally."

Scroll down to see more of Baan’s latest photos.