Amos Rex

Underground contemporary art museum with domed skylights bubbling up into Lasipalatsi Square

A contemporary art museum opened in 2018 under Lasipalatsi Square. The architectural trick — five interconnected gallery domes with skylit oculi that bulge up into the public square above — has made the museum almost as photogenic as the art inside. The collection is modest; the strong programme of temporary exhibitions is the draw.

The above-ground entrance is in the restored 1936 Lasipalatsi (Glass Palace), one of the surviving examples of Helsinki functionalism, with a Bio Rex cinema and a couple of cafés. Visit early in the morning for the best light through the oculi.

things to do museum
A story
The architects of JKMM dug a 2,200-square-metre column-free gallery under Lasipalatsi Square, then pushed the roof up into a series of skylit domes that emerge into the square above — children climb them, skaters use them, and the natural light reaches the galleries beneath.