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Kunsthaus Graz is an art museum that was built as part of the European Capital of Culture celebrations in 2003, and as the name suggests, is located in Graz, Austria. A bubble dedicated to art. The blue bubble of the Kunsthaus, a centre for contemporary art designed by top architects Peter Cook and Colin Fournier, floats elegantly and mysteriously on the right bank of the River Mur. The Kunsthaus Graz with its spectacular biomorphic form offers significant urban perspectives in Graz. The Kunsthaus has been called hippo, sea snail, porcupine, whale and 'Friendly Alien' - the latter name was coined by Colin Fournier, one of its two architects. For him, the Kunsthaus is something biomorphic, indefinable, a hybrid, at once strange and familiar, with the "charm of a friendly mixed-breed stray dog, certainly very questionable in terms of pedigree". The fascinating exhibition rooms attract visitors with engaging exhibitions of contemporary Austrian and international art. The building is located in a less privileged part of the city, opposite the old town. It was built on a vacant lot between Lendkai and Mariahilferstraße, directly adjacent to the 'Eiserne Haus' (iron house). Once a modern department store built by architect Josef Benedikt Withalm in 1846-48, the building was gutted and connected to the Kunsthaus. The listed facade and its cast-iron structure on the upper floor have been preserved. The arrival of the Kunsthaus Graz meant that the area around the Südtiroler Platz was improved and connected to the old town of Graz. Since then, many small shops and restaurants have been installed, and a creative scene is developing.
