Shakespeare and Picasso Cabinet: High-Security Preservation

Gallery: The Museum of Old and New Art (MONA)

Location: Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Project: Phrontisterion Library: The House of Kiefer

European Museum Technology

Shakespeare and Picasso Cabinet: High-Security Preservation

High-security environmental protection and refined materiality safeguarding irreplaceable literary and artistic works.

Engineered to house Shakespeare’s First Folio and rare Picasso notebooks, this high-security vitrine combines absolute climate control with a sophisticated slatted timber exterior. Featuring high-specification security glass and internal electrical infrastructure routed through adjacent structural cavities, the installation delivers uncompromising environmental defence without disrupting the clean architectural lines of the gallery.

Environmental Conservation and Architectural Materiality

This bespoke high-security display cabinet provides absolute climate control and permanent environmental protection for irreplaceable literary and artistic works, specifically Shakespeare’s First Folio and rare Picasso notebooks. The specialised vitrine unit shields these delicate archival materials behind high-specification security glass, ensuring long-term preservation and structural defence.

The design balances robust engineering with a refined material expression. A dark, slatted timber acoustic wrapper envelops the curved outer perimeter, mirroring the architectural rhythms of the surrounding library cabinetry. Brass trim accents the base lines, elegantly anchoring the installation to the floor and defining a stable, highly secure enclosure for the high-value folios within.

Shakespeare and Picasso Cabinet: High-Security Preservation
Shakespeare and Picasso Cabinet: Infrastructure Integration and Technical Concealment

Infrastructure Integration and Technical Concealment

To preserve the clean architectural lines of the Phrontisterion library, the installation routes its entire electrical infrastructure internally. The structural cavities of the adjacent digital kiosk fully conceal all power distribution networks, hardware wiring, and interconnecting cables. This internal routing completely eliminates exposed wiring, ensuring no technical elements disrupt the gallery floor.