The extension of the Felix Nussbaum House in Osnabrück by Daniel Libeskind

After a year-long break, the museum dedicated to the local painter Felix Nussbaum was reopened on Sunday, May 5, 2011, in Osnabrück. The reason for the pause was the construction of the second phase of the expansion of Libeskind's original work with a new entrance area including a shop and café on the ground floor and a library on the upper floor. The museum originally consisted of three masses (concrete, wood, metal) symbolizing three phases of Nussbaum's life: early recognition, exile, and deportation to Auschwitz. Libeskind's intention was to create "a museum without exit", representing the painter's life path. On the other hand, some visitors found it difficult to locate the actual entrance to the museum, which was hidden in a slim concrete tower behind a narrow metal bridge. The new extension aims to clarify the situation and define the entrance, which was resolved by a two-story mass in front of the historic building and a glass tunnel with a direct connection to the museum. The dark gray object with expressive windows in massive black frames contrasts sharply with the surroundings and further expands the diversity of the entire complex. Libeskind's extension is meant to "act as an optical prism, in which pieces of the surrounding buildings will be reflected. Unlike the windows of the previous building, which seem to be cut into the mass, the new windows protrude as distinctive elements directly from the facade." The distribution and shape of the windows are based on the lighting situations in Nussbaum's building projected back onto the extension.