The dining room designed by Victor Vasarely and his son Yvarel and located on the 13th floor of the Bundesbank’s Central Office is to be loaned to the Städel Museum in Frankfurt. There it will be on display from the end of September before being exhibited at the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

Unique “art space”

The “Vasarely Saal” (or Vasarely room) is an exceptional work of art from the Bundesbank’s collection. Commissioned by the Bundesbank, it was designed by Victor Vasarely and his son Yvarel in the early 1970s – an ensemble of yellow, gold, grey and silver whose walls are decorated with a total of 582 coloured plastic and aluminium discs arranged in symmetrical rows. Since its acquisition by the Bundesbank’s Central Office 46 years ago, this unique “art space” has been used to entertain special guests and as a prestigious setting for Executive Board interviews and press events. “This interior design represents one of this Hungarian-born artist’s most important installations,” explained Iris Cramer, curator of the Bundesbank’s art collection. “Seldom has Vasarely’s desire to incorporate his works into an everyday environment and make them a part of life been realised as impressively as in this ‘architectural integration’, as the artist referred to his room installations.”

Dismantling work has begun

© Frank Rumpenhorst

In view of the upcoming renovation of the main building at the Bundesbank’s Central Office, all artworks need to be taken down and temporarily stored. This goes for the “Vasarely Saal” as well, which, clearly, cannot simply be taken off the wall like a painting – instead, it has to be painstakingly disassembled. Work on dismantling the room began this week

Key element of Städel exhibition

The Städel Museum is planning a large-scale Vasarely exhibition (“Victor Vasarely. In the Labyrinth of Modernism”) set to open at the end of September this year. “The Bundesbank is happy to loan the ‘Vasarely Saal’ to the Städel for its exhibition,” said Ms Cramer. The room will be on display there as a key element of the exhibition until 13 January 2019. “We are delighted to have an opportunity to make this wonderful installation accessible to the public, too,” she continued.

Journey to Paris

Once it has left the Städel, the “Vasarely Saal” will travel on to Paris, where it will be on display as part of another exhibition dedicated to Victor Vasarely (“Vasarely – Le partage des formes”) from 6 February to 6 May 2019. Following the renovation of Central Office, the “Vasarely Saal” will be returned to its former glory as a thoroughly unique room which greets visitors with its “serene, relaxed ambiance” and leaves an impression on them that is beyond compare.