Architecture & Art

Architecture & Art Brent Justice D. Colebec Art Appreciation Architecture

Museum • an institution devoted to the procurement, care, study, and display of objects of lasting interest or value (Merriam-Webster) • a "permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits, for purposes of study, education, enjoyment, the tangible and intangible evidence of people and their environment (ICOM)

Problem • Some people believe that the architecture of the building detracts from the value of the art inside. • Others believe that is helps create this “ambiance” of the museum visit • Which statement is true?…. It is up to you!

Problem • The next few slides show a few of the more famous museums designed by some of the most famous architects. • You get to decide based upon what you know and what you have seen which is true, do the buildings help or hinder the art?

Guggenheim Museum NYC

Guggenheim NYC

Guggenheim NYC • I need a fighter, a lover of space, an agitator, a tester and a wise man. . . . I want a temple of spirit, a monument! —Hilla Rebay to Frank Lloyd Wright, 1943 Located near Central park on 5th Avenue between 88th and 89th streets • Location near the park is key because of its inspiration to the design • Took years to complete • Had major additions in 1968 and 2001

Guggenheim NYC • Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright • Overall design was an inverted Ziggurat • Emulated nature with simple geometric shapes • Had Frank Lloyd Wrights modernist approach

Guggenheim NYC • Was different than other museums of the time in the fact that you started at the top via elevator, then worked your way down by using circular ramps • Frank Lloyd Wright was criticized heavily for his design they said it overpowered the art inside • His reply was “On the contrary,it was to make the building and the painting an uninterrupted, beautiful symphony such as never existed in the World of Art before.”

Guggenheim Biboa

Guggenheim Bilboa

Guggenheim Bilboa • Is bordered by the Nervión River on one side and Puente de La Salve, a main road in Bilboa, Spain, on the other • It is set 16 meters below the rest of the city • Has 19 galleries, 10 are regularly shaped, 9 are irregular • Was designed by Frank O. Gehry

Guggenheim Bilboa • The design is a combination of shapes and materials. • There are blocks made of limestone, set in contrast to curved titanium forms, and there is also glass walls • Main part of building is the atrium where people enter, has a “flower” shaped skylight, and a covered terrace • The galleries are on three levels connected by ramps suspended from the ceiling, and glass elevators • The inside is neat and orderly, and quite easily navagatied, in stark contrast to the exterior, which gives the impression of huge foreboding spaces.

High Museum of Art

High Museum of Art • Has two parts, one designed by Richard Myers in 1983, and one designed by Renzo Piano in 2005 • Like the other museums earlier, you start at the top and work your way down by using ramps • Has a long ramp leading to the entrance, preparing you for your experience

High Museum of Art • Addition designed by Renzo Piano • Consists of three buildings and the Woodruff arts center. Also a piazza in the center of them all unites the museum with the neighborhood. • Transparent glass walls and open spaces are characteristic of the museum

Museums • As stated earlier, a lot of people, mostly artists, don’t like real showy or elegant buildings for museums. • They claim it subtracts from the art • I think the opposite is true, it gives you a preview of what is inside before you ever get in!

Resources • www.m-w.com • www.wikipedia.com • www.guggenheim.org/thebuilding • www.guggenheim-bilbao.es/ingles/home.htm • http://www.high.org/overview/about/newhigh.aspx

Architecture & Art