The Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb is the biggest and most modern museum in the country.
The museum traces its origins from the City Gallery of Contemporary Art, established in 1954. The gallery was located at the Kulmer Palace in the Upper Town area and also housed the Centre for Photography, Film and Television and a museum library. Due to lack of space the museum never had a permanent display.
In 1998, a decision was made to move the museum to a brand new building on the corner of Dubrovnik and Većeslav Holjevac avenues in the Novi Zagreb district. A competition for the building’s design was held, and architect Igor Franić’s design was chosen out of 85 entries submitted. The cornerstone for the new building was laid in November 2003, and the new museum finally opened on 11 December 2009, after six years of construction which was beset with several delays.
The building has a total area of 14,600 m2, out of which 3,500 m2 is reserved for the permanent display and around 1,500 m2 is designated for occasional exhibitions. The building also houses a library, a multimedia hall, a bookstore, cafe and a restaurant.
