Am Tunnel

Am Tunnel is a contemporary art gallery located in an underground tunnel in Luxembourg City, southern Luxembourg. Opened in 1993, the gallery occupies a unique subterranean space within the ancient fortress casemates beneath the Bourbon plateau, in the northern part of the Gare quarter. It is connected to the former headquarters of Banque et Caisse d'Épargne de l'État (BCEE), the third-largest bank based in Luxembourg. The gallery is distinguished by its singular setting and its primary dedication to showcasing works by more than a hundred Luxembourgish artists, with a particular focus on the photographer Edward Steichen, to whom a permanent collection is devoted.

The origins of Am Tunnel lie in a 1987 plan by BCEE to extend the former casemate to connect the bank's four buildings situated on the Bourbon plateau. According to one account, the tunnel itself was initially drilled in 1987 to facilitate the transport of money between the bank's buildings. The possible usage of this tunnel space was subsequently debated, and the concept of transforming it into an art gallery emerged. Construction to convert the tunnel began in 1992, and the gallery opened in 1993. However, exhibition activities are reported to have started in 1995, suggesting a gradual development of the gallery's programming after its initial inauguration.

Am Tunnel is primarily dedicated to hosting works by more than a hundred Luxembourgish artists, reflecting a strong commitment to promoting national artistic production. The gallery's programming extends beyond this core focus to include retrospectives of other artists, broadening its scope beyond purely local representation. A significant dimension of the collection is its dedication to photography, as evidenced by the gallery's holdings and exhibition history. The institution thus balances a mandate to support Luxembourgish art with a willingness to situate that art within wider international and historical contexts through temporary exhibitions.

The most significant holding at Am Tunnel is the permanent collection dedicated to Edward Steichen, the renowned photographer. This constitutes a cornerstone of the gallery's identity and attracts sustained scholarly and public attention. The BCEE's photographic collection also serves as an important resource, as demonstrated by the 2019 exhibition "Déjà-vus photographiques," which presented 138 works drawn from this collection. These holdings indicate that the gallery functions not merely as an exhibition space but as a repository for substantial photographic collections with institutional backing from the bank.

The gallery occupies a distinctive architectural and historical setting: part of the underground casemates of Luxembourg City's ancient fortress. Located beneath the Bourbon plateau in the northern Gare quarter, the tunnel connects to the former BCEE headquarters. The space was originally created through the 1987 extension of the former casemate, with the explicit purpose of linking the bank's four plateau buildings. This conversion of a utilitarian passageway, designed for the secure transport of currency, into a venue for contemporary art represents a notable example of adaptive reuse, where a functional banking infrastructure was reimagined as a cultural institution.

Am Tunnel is operated under the auspices of BCEE, which maintains the gallery as part of its institutional presence. The gallery's website is hosted within the BCEE domain, reflecting this continued corporate affiliation. The specific visiting hours, admission policies, and precise access arrangements are not detailed in the available sources. The gallery's location within the former bank headquarters complex in central Luxembourg City positions it within an established urban area, accessible from the Gare quarter. Its present role continues to combine the bank's cultural patronage with public exhibition programming, maintaining the dual identity established at its founding.