Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb

The Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb, known as MSU, stands on Avenija Dubrovnik in Novi Zagreb, on the southern side of the Sava, and it is the largest museum of modern and contemporary art in Croatia. The building is a landmark in its own right: a clean, geometric structure of concrete, glass and steel, designed by the Croatian architect Igor Franić and opened in 2009, after years of planning and construction. For a long time, the museum had no suitable home, and the new building was a milestone for the city's cultural life.

The institution is older than its building. It was founded in 1954 as the City Gallery of Contemporary Art, and its collections grew over decades through purchases, donations and commissions, until it became a museum of national importance. The collection, which has some twelve thousand works, covers Croatian art from the middle of the 20th century onward, with a strong international dimension, and it includes painting, sculpture, drawing, photography, film, video, installation and performance. Among the artistic movements represented are the Croatian informal and abstract art of the 1950s, the New Tendencies of the 1960s, which were an international movement centred on Zagreb, conceptual art and the experimental work of the 1970s, and the many voices of recent decades.

The architecture shapes the visit. Inside, three floors of galleries are linked by a continuous spiral ramp, so that you move upward through the museum without stairs, and the spaces are airy, flexible and well lit. The permanent display, titled Collection as a Verb, presents the holdings in an active, changing way, with themes and groupings rather than a strict chronology, and the museum's Black Box is a darkened space for film, video and sound. The Temporary Exhibition Spaces host shows of Croatian and international artists, and a cycle called Triggers presents smaller projects. A shop, café and reading room are available, and the museum organises talks, workshops and children's programmes.

Opening hours, ticket prices and days of free entry change, so check the museum's website before going. The museum is in a part of Zagreb that is a little away from the centre, so allow time to get there by tram or bus. It is accessible to wheelchair users. A visit takes between one and three hours.

In Zagreb's centre, the Art Pavilion, the Glyptotheque and the Archaeological Museum offer other kinds of art and history. The museum suits lovers of modern art, architecture fans and students. Combine it with a walk by the Sava.