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Art vs. Architecture
Art vs. Architecture
Frank Gehry’s
Architecture
Chelsea Turner
Grand Valley State University
Final Paper: Art 495
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Introduction
Museum designers wrestle with an age-old question. Who’s the star: the building
or its content? As a rule, older museums with great collections favor restrained
architecture that allows the art to shine. Within the art world, the controversy regarding
art vs. architecture is very much in the moment. The tension between building and
contents, however, is as old as the museum itself (McClellan, 2008). Art lovers have
insisted on the primacy of art and resisted the allure of the building. Since the day it
opened, Frank Gehry’s new Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, shown in Figure 1, has
been controversial. Unlike art lovers, fans of architecture describe this museum as the
greatest building of the 20th century. Urban planners now speak of the “Bilbao effect,”
referring to the remarkable success of Frank Gehry’s new Guggenheim Museum in
northern Spain as an engine of urban renewal, economic, and local pride” (McClellan,
2008, p. 1). Gillian Rose’s Chapter 9 has assumed that museums and galleries should be
understood as buildings and displays,
visitors, and workers. New
museums and galleries are exploring
new boundaries and test the
traditional museum and gallery
settings, giving the traditional
definition of the “gallery” and
“museum”. My paper explores
Frank Gehry’s controversial
architecture and what role it plays as
a museum. His architecture becomes
the art and distracts the viewer from
the content it holds. By using
discourse analysis II and dissecting
the parts of this “institution,” I
explored how the environment
changes how the viewer perceives
the art itself.
Figure 1: exterior of the Guggenheim Museum
Theoretical framework and methodology
Chapter 9 titled “Discourse Analysis II: Institutions and Ways of Seeing” in
Gillian Rose’s Visual Methodologies discusses the use of visual images of buildings,
rooms and displays, as well as the architecture of the institution: its design, decorations,
inscriptions, layout, and so on. Studies of contemporary museums and galleries also
often rely on visits to the institution and observation of the way people visit and work in
them. Rose asks her readers the question, “How might you go about connecting the
museum-as-building with the museum-as-spectacle?” In order to really understand the
difference, I had to compare and contrast elements and aspects of the traditional museum
and gallery with the museum as a spectacle.
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The architecture of museums and galleries is one of the main elements when
classifying if the building is a spectacle or a stage to show artifacts and Art. HooperGreenhill’s (1994) book on Museums and Their Visitors focuses on recent attempts by
museums and galleries to attract more visitors by increasing the relevance of their
displays. Such displays invite more general questions. Also, much less attention has
been paid to less organized forms of resistance to the museum and gallery’s disciplines.
It is also important to pay attention to the way the architecture articulates discourses of
culture, art and science. Facades and entrance halls often reflect the understanding of
culture and science articulated with it.
In the beginning of the chapter, the author makes a point of defining what a
gallery and a museum are. In the museum, ‘culture’ tends to refer to that later 19th
century understanding of culture as ‘a whole way of life,’ and museums often collect
objects that are meant to exemplify the way of life of particular social groups. For
example, artifacts of colonized peoples are displayed here. Galleries, on the other hand,
work with an older definition of ‘culture’ as that which can ennoble the human spirit, and
the objects they display are those
defined as Art.
One aspect of the overall layout
of museum and gallery space is the
layout of the individual room. The
spatial organization of rooms is
extremely important. Not only are the
individual rooms important, but also
how each room relates to another is
very essential to consider. Often
galleries and museums have a simple,
straightforward path that guides you
from room to room. Galleries and
museums invite visitors to follow a
Figure 2: The Guggenheim Museum has
particular route, either through the
become an icon for this city.
layout of rooms or through the floor
plans marked with suggested walks (Rose, 2012, Ch. 9). The architecture plan is simple,
allowing the focus to be on the artwork. The Guggenheim Museum, however, is much
different. The complex structure of the building includes independent galleries,
passageways, lifts, walkways, along with and very intricate atrium. This ambitious plan
cries for attention and can distract viewers from what is on display. The chapter also
discusses that particular objects can disrupt the symmetry or the clarity of the museum or
gallery layout. The placement of Art or artifacts must be considered and can make or
break the fluidity of the space.
Rooms can be decorated in particular ways, with particular effects. The types of
effects our textbook describes are much different in comparison with The Guggenheim
Museum. Rose suggests that the walls of a gallery are often painted white and any
seating is modern and minimal. By making the walls and the furniture more complex,
attention is drawn to them and can be distracting. There are many important aspects and
elements to consider when creating a museum/gallery since they determine how this
building will function.
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Contextual information and themes
The Guggenheim Museum was one of the
greatest architectural challenges and rarely has a single
building been credited with such a radical
transformation of the image and fortunes of a major
city. Figure 2 shows how magnificent the architecture
looks in this space. Within months of its opening in
1997, the building has become the most visited
museums in Spain. This city in Spain was considered
to be a declining industrial city, and images of the
building attracted almost 2 million visitors to this
Figure 3
destination. The regional government in Spain paid over
$170 million for this museum. The museum as a spectacle
was part of a strategy to regenerate Bilbao and
bring back civil pride to the city. Due to this
reason, the building had to have a strong
identity and be a visually striking monument.
The attraction was the architecture.
After investigating The Guggenheim
Museum, I discovered that the way in which
Frank Gehry creates his archecture is very much
like an artist. He actually found a creative outlet
in rebuilding his own home and making models
for friends. He sketches, molds, forms, and imagines
Figure 4
his design through these art techniques. For the
Guggenheim Museum, Gehry first envisioned his form through a simper freestyle hand
sketch, seen in Figure 3 and 4. After his sketches, he made numerous cardboard forms
and arranged these forms in different ways until he saw his vision. He also had to keep
the requirements of the building program in mind while constructing the building;
however, most of all his choices were for the appeal of the design.
Computer software had enabled him to build in increasingly eccentric shapes and
sweeping irregular curves (A Museum of Living History, 2013). This building was
considered to be a monumental sculpture that had a chaotic, abstract look to it. While in
the process, he captures movement and creates an impression of movement in most all his
pieces. If the viewer looks carefully at his design, he/she might see a cruise liner, flower
petals, and a fish with the head and tail cut off. His choices of materials were also for
the aesthetic of the building. The museum is covered in very expensive titanium scales,
which reflect the sunlight (Donada, 2012). It is also interesting that if you cut the
museum in half and removed the top half, it wouldn’t touch any of the paintings. Frank
Gehry focused on the design elements while sometimes ignoring the building program
requirements.
Many critics have noted that his masterpiece in an important contribution to the
profession and a catalysts for economic and cultural development to the city (Johnson,
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2012). The idea was to seamlessly integrate the building into the urban context along the
Nervion River in the old industrial heart of the city (The Solomon R. Guggenheim
Foundation (2013). A concrete ramp crosses over the river, creating an illusion that
water washes the walls of the museums. This spot has become a meeting place for many
and redefines the riverbank, which was once neglected. Pride was restored in the city.
Although this building is considered a museum, it houses objects that are defined
as Art. Pieces by Picasso, Van Gogh, Matisse, Degas, and Monet are even on display
here. The Guggenheim museum actually commissioned works that specifically engaged
with the spaces around them. Not only is the museum itself a piece of art, but the art
commissioned here becomes part of the architecture (Donada, 2012). While researching,
finding information about the Art itself was more difficult than I imagined.
The plan of the layout is also a unique one. When viewers walk into the museum,
after taking stairs down a level, they enter into the atrium. The atrium is a halfway house
from the inside and outside where the architecture is the first on display. The walls are
made of glass, and the space is tightened and twisted as materials are confronted and
contrasted, shown in Figures 5. There are nineteen independent galleries inside and glass
walls fill gaps. The ground floor galleries are connected to the atrium while passageways
connect upper floor galleries. Thanks to the walkways, also shown in Figure 5, and the
glass allow visitors to stroll along the edges of the interior and view the city. Although
the galleries have white walls and concrete floors, the walls are irregularly shaped and
very tall. Curves in the walls resemble the similar forms of the exterior of the museum.
If you look closely at Figure 6, you can see the unique wall structure of one of the main
galleries. The unique wall structure is argued to distract away from the pieces. There is
no question that the museum is very a complex and unique design.
Figure 5-Views of the atrium of The
Guggenheim Museum
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The lighting of the spaces
was something Frank Gehry also
considered. He wanted to use the
height of the ceilings to his
advantage and use the combination
of natural light and artificial light.
Roof openings were created in
each gallery; however, they were
soon closed off since the curators
only wanted artificial light. There
are even panels built in the walls
that can be adjusted if the natural
light from the windows is too
harsh.
Figure 6
There is no particular path visitors must
follow when coming to the Guggenheim Museum.
Visitors have the freedom to explore pathways, walkways, the different levels and
pathways. The architecture is designed in a way that allows and makes them feel
welcome to explore at their own leisure. Rules and the authority of the museum are not
nearly as strict as a traditional museum or gallery. By altering and changing the
traditional ways of these institutions, the visitors gain more power as well as freedom
within the walls.
Conclusion/Research Findings
According to the definition our book states, The Guggenheim Museum should be
classified as a gallery; however, the building is titled as a museum. The museum houses
what is defined as Art, not artifacts of colonized peoples. The main difference I
discovered was where the focus exists in a gallery or museum. A traditional gallery or a
museum often creates a stage for its’ content and focuses on the art. The Guggenheim
Museum’s main attraction is the architecture itself, and the art is more of an additional
factor.
The environment of the space an art piece is placed in most certainly affects the
piece. The titanium masterpiece Guggenheim Museum is no exception. Frank Gehry
states, “I think the blurring of the lines between art and architecture has got to happen”
(A Museum of Living History, 2013. Pg. 1). His architecture becomes the Art, sculptural
and expressionistic, while existing as a container. Finding the balance between the two
may be impossible I have found. In my opinion, I don’t think this is a bad thing. It is a
new idea, conflicting with traditional ideas. While redefining the “museum or gallery” in
such ways, it is expected that criticism will come along as well. There is no question,
however, that The Guggenheim museum has caught the attention of so many people
around the world. It has become a spectacle that people want to see.
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Not only does the environment and architecture affect the Art, it also affects the
visitor. By altering the intentions of the museum and gallery, the visitor gains more
power and rules are changed. Visitors have more room to explore where and when they
choose, and surveillance doesn’t seem to exist. This is most certainly new.
The chapter states, “In recent decades, several museums and galleries have not
only been built as places for the production of certain kinds of subjects and objects, but
also as key elements of the regeneration of branding cities.” The spectacular architectural
form has become the very famous, and the art inside the building no longer matters the
most. “The dominant image is the container, not the content,” she states. The main
criticism of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao is so overwhelming that it distracts from
the artwork put on display inside. It is certainly true that while the building itself made
the headlines for the last decade, little has been written about the contents it holds.
Roberta Smith in the New York Times states, “Buildings don’t make museums; art and
only art does” (McClellan, 2008, p.1). Museum curators and art critics see this type of
flashy architecture as an unfortunate distraction from the art on display. The museum has
been an enormous success; however, art world insiders have criticized it as extravagant
nonsense that overpowers the art being displayed. In this case, however, it’s not all about
the art.
Should the artwork have to compete with the building in which it’s housed in? Is
there a balance? There’s no doubting that the exhibits struggle at times to complete with
the content. This is definitely saying something when you consider that the museum has
displayed the works of the greatest artists of all time, including Picasso, Van Gogh,
Matisse, Degas, and Monet. After researching and exploring, I discovered that the
intention of The Guggenheim Museum was to represent the idea of the museum as
repository of mankind’s greatest achievements though magnificent architecture. The
museum’s architecture is an essential part of the museum experience, and we are
fortunate to be living through an era of such tremendous innovation. The cutting-edge
building brought urban renewal, economic expansion, and local pride. I personally
believe that the Guggenheim Museum is a piece of Art. Art critics and architecture fans
may disagree; however, the impact that this work has is inspirational. Ideas are
constantly changing, and I think artists should embrace this. Bilbao changed the game in
museum design, and it’s just the beginning.
Figure 7
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Art vs. Architecture
Works Cited and Consulted
Rose, Gillian (2012). Visual Methodologies: An Introduction to the Interpretation of
Visual Materials. London: SAGE.
A Museum of Living History (2013). Academy of Achievement. Retrieved from
http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/geh0bio-1
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation (2013). Guggenheim. Retrieved from
http://www.guggenheim.org/bilbao
McClellan, Andrew (2008). Tufts Magazine. Retrieved from
http://www.tufts.edu/alumni/magazine/winter2008/features/artarchitecture.html
Connors, Kevin. (2008). Traffic East Magazine. Retrieved from
http://www.trafficeast.com/archives/issue-5/architecture-inside-out-frank-o-gehry
Johnson, Philip (2012). The Museum: Controversy and Architecture in Spain. Retrieved
from http://jdoming.wordpress.ncsu.edu/2012/11/09/the-museum/
Donada, Julien (2011, August, 28). Architecture 23 of 23 Frank O Gehry The Bilbao
Guggenheim Museum [Video file]. Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dm3M6rs6oI
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Image Resources
Figure #1 Source: http://barcelona.theoffside.com/team-news/barcelona-atheltic-bilbaopreview-cooking-lions-with-chef-guardiola.html
Figure #2 Source: http://benpipe.com/#/Architectural/Exteriors/1/
Figure #3 and #4 Source: http://jdoming.wordpress.ncsu.edu/2012/11/09/the-museum/
Figure #5 Source:
http://www.davidhealdphotographs.com/index.php#mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=12&p=3
&a=0&at=0
Figure #6 Source: http://www.interiordesign.net/article/475078Outside_The_White_Box.php
Figure #7 Source: http://www.guggenheim.org/guggenheimfoundation/architecture/bilbao