Designed by London-based architect Farshid Moussavi, the new home for the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Cleveland cuts a fine and enigmatic figure. Situated at an unassuming uptown intersection, the recently opened, nearly 34,000-square-foot, four-story structure (Moussavi’s first in the U.S. and first museum commission) rises in geometric planes from a hexagonal footprint, tapering and tilting to reach a square roof.
Panels of mirror-finished black stainless steel lend a smooth sheen to all of the elevations, catching reflections of the surrounding city skyline and passing traffic. One triangular side of the façade is made of clear glass, revealing a soaring three-story atrium where German artist Katharina Grosse has spray-painted vibrant graphics in purple, orange, and yellow acrylic onto the walls as part of the noncollecting museum’s inaugural offerings (one of a few such institutions in the States, the site has no need to accommodate collection galleries). Take that installation as a sign of bold exhibitions to come. mocacleveland.org
