A new museum dedicated to contemporary art will open in Bled, Slovenia, in the summer of 2026. Designed by David Chipperfield Architects, Muzej Lah will house the Fundacija Lah collection—more than 800 works by over 100 Slovenian and international artists—assembled over three decades by philanthropists Igor and Mojca Lah.
The 5,000-square-metre building will be located at the edge of a natural clearing beneath Bled Castle, with Lake Bled and the Julian Alps in view. The project was conceived with the intention of creating a cultural institution rooted in the landscape and accessible to both local and international audiences. Its design features a sequence of staggered volumes and sloping tiled roofs, drawing on the topography of the site. This approach aligns with Chipperfield’s broader body of museum work, which includes the Neues Museum and James-Simon-Galerie in Berlin, The Hepworth Wakefield, Turner Contemporary, and the Royal Academy of Arts in the UK, and Museo Jumex in Mexico City.
David Chipperfield, who was Domus Guest Editor in 2020 and recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2023, described the design as a response to the landscape: “The various volumes of the building are unified by a series of sloping tiled roofs that tie the museum into its hillside setting,” he stated. “The building is defined by a series of rooms, courtyards and terraces that both create an ideal setting for the collection and give the visitor a strong sense of the surrounding landscape.”
Muzej Lah will present works by Anselm Kiefer, Joseph Beuys, Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, William Kentridge, Zoran Mušič, and Neue Slowenische Kunst, as well as artists such as Anne Imhof, Theaster Gates, and Hito Steyerl. The collection spans post-1945 to the present and includes historical, philosophical, and personal perspectives.
In addition to the exhibition galleries, the museum will feature a library, research centre, bookshop, café, and multipurpose spaces for performances, screenings, and educational programming. A sculpture garden will extend the exhibition space outdoors.
“We wanted to create an institution in Slovenia where visitors from near and far could come together to think and be inspired,” stated Igor and Mojca Lah. “It has been a labour of love to see our dream come to life in Bled—a home and deeply reflective place for us.”
The museum is scheduled to open to the public in summer 2026.
Opening image: Render Muzej Lah. Immage: ® David Chipperfield Architects.