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Immersive art experiences marrying technology and art have made up some of the most exciting exhibits of the past couple of years. From Van Gogh to Da Vinci to Monet and Renoir, many great names of art history have seen their iconic artworks toured worldwide in completely new ways: through technology, these immersive art experiences allow the audience to step inside the paintings, make their environments the true canvasses. Many of these art shows are temporary pop-up exhibits, jumping from location to location, but in New York, the experience is about to become permanent: Hall des Lumières, an all-new art space in Lower Manhattan, is set to be a permanent digital and immersive art room in the city. Their debut is bringing to New York a hypnotic way to view the work of Austrian art master Gustav Klimt - and we’re here to tell you all about it!

The Hall des Lumières Opens In Manhattan

Hall des Lumières opened this September at 46 Chambers Street in Manhattan, Located in the historic building that housed the Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank in the early 1900s. Designed by Raymond F. Almirall, the Bank was the first Beaux-Arts skyscraper in New York City and the largest bank building in the country. The Emigrant Bank moved locations in 1969, and the bank hall would remain empty for decades, despite its status, since 1982, as a landmark of New York and one of NYC's beautiful historic buildings.

Meanwhile, French museum operator company Culturespaces, responsible for the similar projects of Atelier des Lumières in Paris, Bassins des Lumières in Bordeaux, and more locations in France, as well as Amsterdam, Dubai, Seoul, and Jeju, found the marble Beaux-Arts colonnade and decorative banking hall of 46 Chambers Street the perfect location to bring the Lumières immersive experience to America. In partnership with events and media company IMG, Culturespaces began in 2020 with the restoration of the building and the creation of New York’s very own Hall des Lumières.

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Immersing New York In Gustav Klimt’s Gold

Finally, in September 2022, Hall des Lumières opened its doors to the public, and it did so with a sea of gold. Creative director Gianfranco Ianuzzi, who is behind other trending digital installations of the past few years, is bringing the stunning exhibit Gustav Klimt: Gold in Motion to New York City.

One of the most renowned symbolist painters in history, Gustav Klimt (1862 - 1918) was a leading figure behind the Vienna Secession, a movement in the late 1890s that opposed the Association of Austrian Artists' objection to non-traditional artistic styles. A pioneer of decorative influence in painting and art nouveau, Klimt and the Vienna Secession sought to unite decorative arts, design, architecture, and painting under one “total art.” Klimt produced hundreds of paintings, drawings, illustrations, and murals in his life. He is well known for highly complex symbolist compositions, geometric shapes, languid lines, and the use of gold and gold leaf during the most famous point of his career, in his “Gold Phase,” and his deeper color palettes and blend of abstract and symbolist motifs in portraits and “kilt-like” landscapes.

Gustav Klimt’s most iconic paintings like Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I (1907), The Tree of Life (1909), The Kiss (1908), and many more are brought to life in Hall des Lumières’ debut exhibit Gold in Motion. As the name suggests, the exhibit makes the paintings implied movement reality and, through Culturespaces' animation and projection technology, harmonized it with the architecture of the building in a unique show of light and color. Accompanying music and captivating motion design envelop viewers completely in Gustav Klimt’s art.

Related: These New York City Museums Are Always Ready To Take Visitors On A Visual Adventure

See Also

Accompanying the headliner Gustav Klimt: Gold in Motion, Hall des Lumières has two more exhibits opened. In the former vault room of the Emigrant Bank, an accompanying sensory experience celebrates the work of Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928 - 2000), an artistic disciple of Klimt and the Vienna Secession. Hundertwasser’s brightly colored lines and shapes are animated to bring to life his utopic world on the walls of Hall des Lumières, side by side with one of his main inspirations.

Also on display are shorter contemporary digital artworks 5 Movements by Nohlab Studios, joining video art, dance, and light, as well as Recoding Entropia by François Vautier, an immersive film exploring and mapping the corners of the mind.

How To Visit Hall des Lumières

The experiences at Hall des Lumières and entry to the exhibits are timed, with entry permitted up to 30 minutes from set times. To ensure available tickets and to catch the whole experience, it is advised to purchase tickets online, but a limited amount of tickets is available at the box office. The duration of the experience is approximately one hour.

  • Tickets: $30 USD general admission, free for children under 5
  • Hours: Sunday through Wednesday 10 AM - 7 PM, Thursday through Saturday 10 AM to 10 PM
  • Location: 46 Chambers Street, New York City, NY