Burkinabè architect Francis Kéré has been selected to design the future Las Vegas Museum of Art (LVMA) in the United States. This major cultural project, scheduled to open in 2029, aims to strengthen the role of the arts in the city's cultural life.
Born in 1965 in Gando, Burkina Faso, Francis Kéré will design Las Vegas's first independent art museum. Covering an area of approximately 5,500 m², the building will be located in Symphony Park, in the city center.
The museum's architecture will draw inspiration from the Mojave Desert, the surrounding terrain, and the Red Rock Mountains. Its façade will notably feature local stone, with shades reminiscent of the region's desert landscapes. The project aims to combine monumentality, openness, and accessibility.
To carry out this project, Kéré Architecture will collaborate with the American firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), while the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is also among the project's partners.
Construction is scheduled to begin no later than February 2027, with an opening planned for 2029. Through this new institution, the project's developers hope to bring artworks closer to the public and energize the local cultural scene.
Francis Kéré described his selection as an “immense honor” and a significant milestone in his professional career, according to statements reported by project officials.
The architect notably gained recognition for building a primary school in his native village in 2001, where he had grown up without access to a school. In 2022, he became the first African-born architect to receive the prestigious Pritzker Prize, one of the world's highest honors in architecture.
