The US has a growing number of high-profile private art museums and the latest to join the list is Glenstone, which reopened in October following a five-year expansion that cost $200m (£154m).
Glenstone, which is close to Washington DC, has been open since 2006, but the expansion has transformed the visitor experience with the addition of a 204,000 square foot building called the Pavilions. The museum has also more than doubled the space it has to show outdoor sculpture to 230 acres.
The expansion makes Glenstone one of the largest private art museums in the US, joining institutions such as the Broad, the $140m venue that opened in Los Angeles in 2015 and is named after the entrepreneur Eli Broad and his wife, Edythe.
The Pavilions building at Glenstone is designed by Thomas Phifer and Partners. It joins the original 30,000 sq ft museum building, called the Gallery, which was created by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects. Glenstone now has 59,000 sq ft of indoor exhibition space in two buildings to display modern and contemporary art.
The aim is to give people an unhurried and uncrowded experience. Admission is free, but visits have to be booked. Natural light is an important feature of the Pavilions, with most rooms having daylight entering from above. A Water Court outside is designed to give visitors the opportunity of a quiet moment to think about what they have seen.
The artists selected for single-artist installations in nine of the Pavilions rooms are Martin Puryear, On Kawara, Robert Gober, Michael Heizer, Pipilotti Rist, Charles Ray, Lygia Pape, Brice Marden and Cy Twombly.
Emily Wei Rales: When we opened the Gallery at Glenstone in 2006 it was the first step towards realising our vision of creating a unique experience that seamlessly integrates art, architecture and landscape. The addition of the Pavilions and a total of 230 acres of landscape has brought this vision to fruition.
How has Thomas Phifer’s design of the Pavilions built on that of the original Gallery building?
The design continues the modernist theme in the architecture at Glenstone, starting with the Gallery.
Both buildings feature a limited palette of materials and hues to create minimalist spaces. Phifer also designed the new entrance hall and cafe.
How does the art and architecture relate to the landscape?
We refer to the art, architecture, and landscape as a trinity that is ever-present during a visitor’s experience. It starts as soon as they arrive and begin their journey to the Pavilions.
A winding path crosses through a meadow, revealing glimpses of outdoor sculptures and the new building along the way. Once inside the Pavilions, special works are given distinctive spaces – environments to encounter them on their own terms – whether it is Kawara’s Moon Landing triptych (1969), Heizer’s Collapse (1967/2016), Gober’s Untitled installation (1992-2007) or sculptures by Twombly.
Visitors are drawn towards large windows framing the Water Court while they move between these works. They can re-centre themselves by stepping out onto the deck to see the aquatic plants up-close.
Is it a challenge to combine free entry with the unhurried visitor experience you are looking for?
We don’t think these goals are mutually exclusive. Glenstone will always have free admission and it is important for visitors to have time and space to experience the works, an approach some have called the “slow art” method. We have been pleased to see the great level of interest in the Pavilions and we are determining the best balance to maintain this experience.
What type of visitors do you expect?
We hope everyone comes to Glenstone. The experience of the art, the buildings and the lush landscape offers everyone a chance to enjoy a variety of environments in which to relax, contemplate and recharge.
What are the main strengths of the collection?
Our goal is to assemble seminal works by key artists that together offer a global overview of the most important developments in art since the end of the second world war.
We are interested in artists who have altered the way we think about art – creating distinctive, often challenging, bodies of work and changing the course of art history.
We tend to keep exhibitions in place for long periods of time, so visitors can come back again and again to gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of them.
For instance, the Louise Bourgeois exhibition in the Gallery opened in May 2018 and is on view until January 2020. Future exhibition plans for the Gallery and spaces in the Pavilions have not yet been announced.
Most rooms have large clerestories [windows above eye level] or lay lights [glazed panels] to provide daylight from above. The play of light and shadow varies throughout the day and, as the seasons change, the light fluctuates, revealing subtle qualities in the artworks.
Glenstone, which is close to Washington DC, has been open since 2006, but the expansion has transformed the visitor experience with the addition of a 204,000 square foot building called the Pavilions. The museum has also more than doubled the space it has to show outdoor sculpture to 230 acres.
The expansion makes Glenstone one of the largest private art museums in the US, joining institutions such as the Broad, the $140m venue that opened in Los Angeles in 2015 and is named after the entrepreneur Eli Broad and his wife, Edythe.
Glenstone is co-founded by the art historian and curator Emily Wei Rales and her husband, the businessman Mitchell Rales. Wei Rales is also the director of the museum.
While the collection sits within the American model of an arts venue created by wealthy collectors, one of its key inspirations is a European venue – the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark – and its approach to integrating art, architecture and landscape.
The Pavilions building at Glenstone is designed by Thomas Phifer and Partners. It joins the original 30,000 sq ft museum building, called the Gallery, which was created by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects. Glenstone now has 59,000 sq ft of indoor exhibition space in two buildings to display modern and contemporary art.
The aim is to give people an unhurried and uncrowded experience. Admission is free, but visits have to be booked. Natural light is an important feature of the Pavilions, with most rooms having daylight entering from above. A Water Court outside is designed to give visitors the opportunity of a quiet moment to think about what they have seen.
The artists selected for single-artist installations in nine of the Pavilions rooms are Martin Puryear, On Kawara, Robert Gober, Michael Heizer, Pipilotti Rist, Charles Ray, Lygia Pape, Brice Marden and Cy Twombly.
The largest room in the Pavilions houses an inaugural installation of 65 artworks by 52 artists, dating from 1943 to 1989. The Gallery building is showing Louise Bourgeois: To Unravel a Torment until 2020.
Why was the expansion necessary?
Emily Wei Rales: When we opened the Gallery at Glenstone in 2006 it was the first step towards realising our vision of creating a unique experience that seamlessly integrates art, architecture and landscape. The addition of the Pavilions and a total of 230 acres of landscape has brought this vision to fruition.
How has Thomas Phifer’s design of the Pavilions built on that of the original Gallery building?
The design continues the modernist theme in the architecture at Glenstone, starting with the Gallery.
Both buildings feature a limited palette of materials and hues to create minimalist spaces. Phifer also designed the new entrance hall and cafe.
How does the art and architecture relate to the landscape?
We refer to the art, architecture, and landscape as a trinity that is ever-present during a visitor’s experience. It starts as soon as they arrive and begin their journey to the Pavilions.
A winding path crosses through a meadow, revealing glimpses of outdoor sculptures and the new building along the way. Once inside the Pavilions, special works are given distinctive spaces – environments to encounter them on their own terms – whether it is Kawara’s Moon Landing triptych (1969), Heizer’s Collapse (1967/2016), Gober’s Untitled installation (1992-2007) or sculptures by Twombly.
Visitors are drawn towards large windows framing the Water Court while they move between these works. They can re-centre themselves by stepping out onto the deck to see the aquatic plants up-close.
Is it a challenge to combine free entry with the unhurried visitor experience you are looking for?
We don’t think these goals are mutually exclusive. Glenstone will always have free admission and it is important for visitors to have time and space to experience the works, an approach some have called the “slow art” method. We have been pleased to see the great level of interest in the Pavilions and we are determining the best balance to maintain this experience.
What type of visitors do you expect?
We hope everyone comes to Glenstone. The experience of the art, the buildings and the lush landscape offers everyone a chance to enjoy a variety of environments in which to relax, contemplate and recharge.
What are the main strengths of the collection?
Our goal is to assemble seminal works by key artists that together offer a global overview of the most important developments in art since the end of the second world war.
We are interested in artists who have altered the way we think about art – creating distinctive, often challenging, bodies of work and changing the course of art history.
We collect these artists in depth and collaborate closely with them or their estates to achieve the fullest possible realisation of their works.
What is your approach to programming temporary exhibitions?
We tend to keep exhibitions in place for long periods of time, so visitors can come back again and again to gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of them.
For instance, the Louise Bourgeois exhibition in the Gallery opened in May 2018 and is on view until January 2020. Future exhibition plans for the Gallery and spaces in the Pavilions have not yet been announced.
What is the most innovative aspect of the Pavilions?
Museum-goers are used to viewing artworks in artificial light, but natural light is a fundamental part of the Pavilions’ design. The team studied light patterns for a year to determine the most natural and nuanced approach.
Most rooms have large clerestories [windows above eye level] or lay lights [glazed panels] to provide daylight from above. The play of light and shadow varies throughout the day and, as the seasons change, the light fluctuates, revealing subtle qualities in the artworks.
Project data
- Cost $200m (£154m)
- Main funder Glenstone Foundation Pavilions architect Thomas Phifer and Partners
- Landscape architect PWP Landscape Architecture
- Civil engineer Vika
- Graphic design 2x4
- Natural lighting design Arup Sustainability Buro Happold
- Admission Free
Emily Wei Rales is the co-founder and director of Glenstone
