 |
Whitney Hires Renzo Piano to Design Its ExpansionThe Italian architect Renzo Piano has been hired by the Whitney Museum of American Art to design an expansion for its permanent collection and for much-needed public and educational space. The decision was made at a special board meeting yesterday after a six-month search by the Whitney's architect selection committee.
Mr. Piano's plan is far more modest in size and scale than the ambitious $200 million proposal of the Rotterdam architect Rem Koolhaas, which the board abandoned last year, saying it would have been too expensive both to build and to operate. Most important, museum officials said, they hope the design will not have a roofline higher than the Whitney's existing home, the 1966 cantilevered granite fortress designed by Marcel Breuer on Madison Avenue at 75th Street.
"We knew we needed to hire an architect who could get a museum building built," said Melva Bucksbaum, who headed the selection committee. "We didn't feel we needed a destination building that would compete with the Breuer building. The Whitney already is a destination. Renzo saw the limitations and was interested in using them, not fighting them."
more: www.nytimes.com/2004/06/16/arts/d... (135)
June 16, 2004 | Viewed 24,090 time(s)
|
|
