Feeling Alive

This past weekend, I finally had the opportunity to visit the new addition to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City.
    I was completely blown away.
    But first, a little background. The Nelson-Atkins is considered by many to be the top museum in the Midwest. The collection is first-rate and extensive. The original building, built in 1933, is majestic. It sits atop a hill overlooking a long green field and Kansas City itself. It's a beautiful sight.
    To me, however, it has always represented what I hate most about so many museums. Overly formal. Overly serious. Way too ornate and pretentious. Gallery spaces that overwhelm and treat the artwork as a nuisance. Giant paintings placed in narrow hallways or small spaces where one can't back up to gain a proper perspective. Worse yet, the building and grounds always felt like they were designed to fend off some sort of peasant invasion. Stay out, poor people. Art is for the educated, the rich, the serious.
    Fuck that.
    Which is exactly what architect Steven Holl did. His $200 million addition pays no tribute to the old building; but it doesn't humiliate it either. His solution was to create an addition that is everything the old building isn't. And by placing his new addition side by side with the old building, both are the better for it.
    The old building is now exposed for what it is, really. A relic. An artifact from a time when art was something different. The 1933 building is no longer the keeper of the collection, it is now part of the collection.
    The glowing "lenses" that run alongside the old building draw you into a space that is open, airy, and inspiring. Unique curves, surprising angles, and natural light work together to make you feel alive. And that's before you even engage the artists.
    Pollock. Kline. Warhol. Rauschenberg. de Kooning.
    And that's when it hits you. These artists belong in a space just like this.

    I left inspired. My kids did, too.

    The new addition opened in early June to rave reviews. Check out this New Yorker article to learn more, and then check out this article from Wired which explains how the "lenses" bring natural light to these underground galleries. If you do nothing else, please watch this short video and hear from the architects and the museum director themselves. A fascinating look into the creative process. I especially love the quotes about creativity and novelty near the end.

Comments

[Wender J. Crinklebank]

Well holy hell, I'm sold. I'll be packing up the wife and daughter and heading for Kansas City the very next chance we get, I had no idea this place existed. Transplanting from DC into rural Nebraska left us feeling a bit short on the Fantastic Museums front -- though the Joslyn here in Omaha is superb, and the Western Heritage Museum is a fascinating repository of all things historically Nebraskan -- given our previous proximity to the entire Smithsonian system. When I go back to DC to visit my Dad now I feel like a gawking tourist, amazed by the city in ways I never was when I lived there.

I can't wait to haul down to KC and check this place out, it looks fantastic. Once again, thank you for pointing me towards something I may not have found but for your blog.