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
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
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
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