This Oscars Season, photographer Paul Clemence turned his lens to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, the most famous institution dedicated to the art and science of movies. Designed and revitalized by Gensler and Renzo Piano Building Workshop, the building is located on the famed 'Miracle Mile' in Los Angeles, opening with expansive views towards Hollywood. This year, the museum opened its rooftop terrace for the Oscars Night at the Museum, a unique event to celebrate the 96th Oscars.
The Academy Museum opened in 2021 as the first large-scale museum dedicated to cinematography, housing over 13 million objects to showcase and highlight the history, science and cultural impact of the film industry. The design project, which included the revitalization of existing buildings as well as the introduction of new additions, was overseen by Italian architect Renzo Piano.
The exterior of the May Company building, now named the Saban Building, underwent extensive refurbishment, including the addition of new limestone and gold leaf tiles. Inside, the museum boasts interactive spaces such as the Spielberg Family Gallery and the Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Gallery, offering visitors immersive experiences and insights into the world of filmmaking.
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Annie Beauchamp on Designing the Overall Visual Look of Movies: "A Designer’s Work Helps to Drive The Plot"Additionally, a spherical structure was erected as an extension, featuring the glass-domed Dolby Family Terrace and housing two state-of-the-art theater halls—the 1,000-seat David Geffen Theater and the 288-seat Ted Mann Theater—for film screenings, programming, and special events.
The Academy Museum gives us the opportunity to honor the past while creating a building for the future—in fact, for the possibility of many futures. - Renzo Piano
As complex and interdisciplinary art forms, architecture and cinematography share a unique relationship. Through scenography, architecture lends itself to becoming the backdrop of movies, influencing the storytelling through its visual aesthetics. Examples such as Stefan Dechant's design for 'The Tragedy of Macbeth' showcase the need for abstracted environments to capture ideas and concepts, rather than historical contexts, while Jacinta Leong's production design for movies such as '2067', 'Alien: Covenant', or 'Mad Max: Fury Road', reveal how movie architecture has the power to "tell us how things are and how things can be."
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on March 11, 2024.
