Depot – Reflecting Boijmans

Synopsis

In 2019, Rotterdam’s famed Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen shuttered for renovations, making way for a radical new shimmering art mecca just down the street. Called the Depot, this ambitious construction — composed of walls of curved mirrored glass — was a shared dream of architect Winy Maas and irreverent museum director Sjarel Ex. It reimagines art exhibition as a gigantic, glorified storage unit, with all of its treasures on view for everyone to see.

With a playful approach that even includes musical numbers, ChicagoIFF alumnus Sonia Herman Dolz (The Master and His Pupil, Yo soy así) tracks these two ambitious and passionate visionaries as they work together to break down the old museum, construct the new one, and delicately transport precious masterpieces into their new home. A captivating portrait of both institutions from the inside out, Depot is a glorious ode to both art and architecture.