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We really went to see the expanded museum space that architect/engineer Santiago Calatrava http://www.calatrava.com/ designed. I am a huge fan of Calatrava and was introduced to his work by the Ovation Network, where I watched the Turning Torso documentary. Turning Torso is Calatrava's building in Malmo, Sweden. Read more about that here. It is absolutely stunning. Some of you may know Calatrava from his design work that was to be the new transportation hub in New York City. Some may know him because of his bridge designs. http://www.turtlebay.org/sundialbridge will take you to the Sundial Bridge in Redding, CA. You can watch a 30 minute documentary on the building of the Sundial Bridge at Netflix.
So we left Chicago at 9AM in a Cadillac sedan. Really a nice ride. Kind of like driving your couch. Milwaukee is about 90 miles north of Chicago and the ride was traffic-free and the weather was clear and cold. We arrived around 1040 and there were maybe four cars in the parking lot. Like having the entire museum to ourselves. The museum has a nice permanent collection of art and objects dating from the 1700s to the present. The docents/guides were extremely knowledgeable and made the visit that much more special and informative. The current exhibition is Impressionism: Masterworks on Paper. http://mam.org/impressionism/ Organized in conjunction with the Albertina in Vienna, Impressionism: Masterworks on Paper is the first exhibition devoted exclusively to the significance of drawing to the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist avant-garde movements—and to the development of modern art. The exhibition makes its premiere in Milwaukee, presenting more than one hundred drawings, watercolors, and pastels by many of the greatest artists in the history of Western European art—Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne, Seurat, Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec. These artists created drawings independently of painting, as they sought to create an art that more accurately represented their times. In the process, the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists effectively elevated drawing in nineteenth-century France to a status equal with that of painting.
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| Panoramic view facing east |
This is what the heated and air-conditioned garage looks like:
From the MMA website: The graceful Quadracci Pavilion is a sculptural, postmodern addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum completed in 2001, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. A 1975 addition had increased space five-fold, but the Museum remained hidden from public view on the lower floors of the War Memorial Center. A $10 million then-anonymous gift from Betty and Harry Quadracci kicked off a capital campaign.
In 1994, the Museum’s search committee convinced Santiago Calatrava to submit a proposal and was wowed by his creative design. Calatrava, inspired by the “dramatic, original building by Eero Saarinen, …the topography of the city” and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie-style architecture, initially proposed a small addition, with a pedestrian bridge connecting the Museum to downtown. As excitement over the project grew, fundraising accelerated and the project evolved, with the architect and Museum trustees sharing ideas.
The 142,050-square-foot Quadracci Pavilion was planned to primarily contain public spaces—a reception hall, auditorium, café, store, and parking, plus 10,000 square feet of flexible space for temporary exhibitions. Calatrava later said, “I had clients who truly wanted from me the best architecture that I could do. Their ambition was to create something exceptional for their community…. Thanks to them, this project responds to the culture of the lake: the sailboats, the weather, the sense of motion and change.”
The structure incorporates both cutting-edge technology and old-world craftsmanship. The hand-built structure was made largely by pouring concrete into one-of-a-kind wooden forms. It is a building that could have only been done in a city with Milwaukee’s strong craft tradition.
Right now the museum is celebrating the ten year anniversary of the completion of the Quadracci Pavillion. It has been named the sexiest building in the world, featured in TV ads and shows and Hollywood movies, and it has transformed the city of Milwaukee. In September, the Milwaukee Art Museum celebrates the 10th anniversary of its iconic building, the Quadracci Pavilion, with the exhibition Building a Masterpiece: Santiago Calatrava and the Milwaukee Art Museum.
Designed by internationally renowned architect Santiago Calatrava, the Quadracci Pavilion was the Spaniard’s first completed commission in the United States. In 2001, it was named Time Magazine’s “Best Design of 2001.”
The exhibition will highlight the construction of the entirely custom-made project, a testament to Milwaukee’s tradition of precision manufacturing and craftsmanship. Watercolors, models, and photographs will trace the evolution of the design, including the architectural wonder of the Burke Brise Soleil, perched high above the Quadracci Pavilion.
The wing-like structure on top of the pavillion is the Burke Brise Soleil. A motorized sunscreen. You can see it in action here
Unprecedented in American architecture, the Burke Brise Soleil is a moveable, wing-like sunscreen that rests on top of the Museum’s vaulted, glass-enclosed Windhover Hall. The “wings” open at 10 a.m. in accordance with regular days of operation, close/reopen at noon, and close at 5 p.m. (8 p.m. on Thursdays). Schedule is subject to change without advance notice due to weather/maintenance.
While the Burke Brise Soleil has a wingspan comparable to that of a Boeing 747-400, its two ultrasonic wind sensors automatically close the wings if the wind speed reaches 23 mph or greater. Unlike the airplane, the Museum prefers to remain on the ground.
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| The ceiling of the pavillion as the wings close |
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| The ceiling of the pavillion as the wings close |
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| The ceiling of the pavillion as the wings close |
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| Dale Chihuly (American, b. 1941) Isola di San Giacomo in Palude Chandelier II, 2000 Blown glass 103 x 86 in. (261.62 x 218.44 cm) |
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| view north down the hallway that leads to permanent collections. The way Calatrava plays with light and shadow is truly remarkable. |
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| facing east towards Lake Michigan. Note the bench built in to the concrete form. A perfect place to sit and take it all in. |
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| facing east towards Lake Michigan |
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| Gaetano Trentanove (American, b. Italy, 1858–1937) The Last of the Spartans, ca. 1892 Marble 26 1/2 x 79 1/2 x 27 3/8 in. (67.31 x 201.93 x 69.47 cm) |
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| Roman After Greek late 4th-century BC original Torso of a Male Athlete (The Oil Pourer), 1st–2nd century AD Marble height: 47 in. (119.38 cm) |
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| Gaetano Trentanove (American, b. Italy, 1858–1937) The Last of the Spartans, ca. 1892 Marble 26 1/2 x 79 1/2 x 27 3/8 in. (67.31 x 201.93 x 69.47 cm) |
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| Gaetano Trentanove (American, b. Italy, 1858–1937) The Last of the Spartans, ca. 1892 Marble 26 1/2 x 79 1/2 x 27 3/8 in. (67.31 x 201.93 x 69.47 cm) |
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| Gaetano Trentanove (American, b. Italy, 1858–1937) The Last of the Spartans, ca. 1892 Marble 26 1/2 x 79 1/2 x 27 3/8 in. (67.31 x 201.93 x 69.47 cm) |
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| Gaetano Trentanove (American, b. Italy, 1858–1937) The Last of the Spartans, ca. 1892 Marble 26 1/2 x 79 1/2 x 27 3/8 in. (67.31 x 201.93 x 69.47 cm) |
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| Claes Oldenburg (American, b. Sweden, 1929) Trowel – Scale A 3/3, 1970 Aluminum on steel base filled with dirt 104 x 26 x 24 in. (264.16 x 66.04 x 60.96 cm) |
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| Robert Henri (American, 1865–1929) Betalo Nude, 1916 Oil on canvas 41 x 33 in. (104.14 x 83.82 cm) |
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| Duane Hanson (American, 1925–1996) Janitor, 1973 Polyester, fiberglass, and mixed media 65 1/2 x 28 x 22 in. (166.37 x 71.12 x 55.88 cm) Gift of Friends of Art M1973.91 Photo credit John Nienhuis © Estate of Duane Hanson/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY |
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| Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917) The Walking Man, 1905, cast after 1953 Bronze |
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| Vienna, Austria Settee, 1825/30 Walnut veneer on softwood, modern upholstery 37 x 52 x 27 3/16 in. (93.98 x 132 x 69 cm) This was designed and built almost 100 years before art nouveau and deco. |
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