NEW YORK — Whether by chance or intention, a museum’s architecture can sway people in and out of its doors.
This was one of the heady topics tackled by a panel of experts earlier this month during the “Museum Architecture in the 21st Century” discussion at the Dahesh Museum of Art here. With New Yorker critic and Parsons dean Paul Goldberger moderating, architect Daniel Libeskind, the Museum of Modern Art’s director Glen Lowry, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston’s director Malcolm Rogers and scholar Victoria Newhouse hammered out their opinions about issues such as:
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- How statement buildings enhance or detract from the art.
- A museum’s global expansion runs the risk of homogenization.
- As cities become more competitive about attracting visitors, their architecture packs more of a punch.
- The need for museums to be more willing to share pieces from their permanent collections with other institutions.
Organized by the Art Dealers Association of America, the discussion often centered on what exists today and how that might affect the future. Sir John Soane’s Library in London won praise for its movable walls, as did the Nebraska state capitol for its skyscraper architecture. Panelists also singled out the Gulbenkian in Lisbon, the Frick Art Museum in Washington, D.C., the National Gallery of London and Herzog & de Meuron’s Schaulager in Basel, Switzerland, as personal favorites.
Quorums were hard to come by — no surprise, considering the panelists’ résumés. That said, lively exchanges were aplenty. When Goldberger referenced the cliché that “in this secular culture, museums are the cathedrals of cities,” Lowry added, “The problem is, if you don’t get it right, you have cathedrals that are empty shells. And there are hundreds of them.”
Without missing a beat, Libeskind said, “But the withdrawal of God wasn’t the failure of architecture.”
Earlier in the discussion, panelists bantered about statement buildings like the Dia Beacon in Beacon, N.Y., versus neutral ones. Drawing from his own experience at MoMA, Lowry said: “There are two things most people think they are experts at — the first is being an architect and the second is being a curator.”
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Lowry recalled how Yoshio Taniguch, the architect behind MoMA’s redesign, told him on more than one occasion: “If you give me enough money, I can make the architecture disappear.”
Lowry continued, “When you’re in his buildings, you should be most aware of the space and light.”
For the most part, the Guggenheim’s futuristic branch in Bilbao, Spain, designed by Frank Gehry won praise for championing if-you-build-it-they-will-come architecture. Newhouse described it as “the opposite of neutral space.” Aside from making its location a well-known place, the futuristic building works well as a museum, she said.
“The great thing about Bilbao — whether you like architecture or not — is that it has an extraordinary variety of spaces,” Newhouse said. “It’s been said that it is similar to a 19th-century gallery in that way.”
Rogers said he was surprised by how little art is often displayed in contemporary art museums. “It’s rather like designing an aquarium and showing one trout,” Rogers said. “I would urge architects to look more and more at variety and the actual functionality of the galleries they design.”
Designing buildings from the inside out is something Rogers aspires to do at the MFA. Fund-raising for its $425 million Norman Foster-designed expansion is at the halfway point, and once construction is complete, a glass-and-steel structure, or “jewel box,” will enclose the museum’s east courtyard, creating a year-round public space. Its north entrance will be reopened, linking the property to Frederick Law Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace park.
Panelists also discussed how museums are adding wings to give their institutions a shot of excitement, and of course, more ticket sales. The trend has become so prevalent that as soon as buildings are built, the potential location for wings is considered.
Like it or not, architecture is a major lure to consumers, said Libeskind, who is at work on expansions for the Denver Art Museum and the Royal Ontario Museum, as well as the new World Trade Center site. “The experience really starts when people are on the street thinking about going to a museum,” he said.
But once they are in the door, visitors want to admire the art, not just architecture. “No matter what anyone says about space and light, I don’t admire neutrality, nor is it something we should emulate in everyday life,” Libeskind said. “A good museum provides not only the variety of a space but enhances the quality of the creative experience.”
Later in the discussion, Goldberger reinforced that notion. “The reason people go to art museums is for art. The critical factor is always going to be the art that is presented. At the end of the day, the art is what endures and defines an institution.”