I.M. Pei's Late Work, Atop a Military Fort

At a Glance

Mudam (Musée d'Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean) sits on Luxembourg City's Kirchberg plateau. Opened in 2006 after an eleven-year design and build by I.M. Pei (1917–2019), it holds a focused collection of about 800 works tracing European contemporary practice since the 1990s.

Pei's Late Public Work, on a Fort

The site preserves the 1732 Vauban-era Fort Thüngen. Pei placed a Jura-stone and glass-pyramid museum on top rather than clearing the ramparts. Started in 1995, opened in 2006, it stands as one of his major European public buildings after the Louvre Pyramid, and is remembered as a late masterpiece. A footbridge connects it to the adjacent Musée Dräi Eechelen, where the original military heritage remains.

Highlights

• Tony Cragg, Bernd & Hilla Becher, Walter Panck on permanent rotation.
• The central atrium under Pei's glass pyramid.
• Mudam Café designed by Studio Andrée Putman.
• Six to eight solo shows a year—recent ones included Alicja Kwade and Su-Mei Tse.
• Park Dräi Eechelen, three hectares with outdoor works by Henry Moore and Richard Long.

Tips

Tram 1 from the central station to Philharmonie–Mudam. Around €8; periodic free Wednesday evenings. Plan 1.5–2 hours. Pair with the Jean Nouvel-designed Philharmonie and the Musée Dräi Eechelen. Closed Mondays.