Yes, that's right. Did any of you Bay Area folks know about this? Beginning in June, until sometime in "early 2016", SF MOMA will close its doors to accommodate a construction project which will double the museum's square footage, mostly to house the some 11,000 pieces that came in from the late Donald Fisher of the Gap (which is a great acquisition, of course). Originally this was to be a stand alone addition, but the architects convinced the museum that, in order to create a "seamless" viewing experience, they would simply add on to the existing structure, thus necessitating a two and a half year closure. Somehow that does not quite fit the definition of "seamless" viewing experience that springs to my mind.
Now, apparently, MOMA plans to have a "presence" throughout the City during the closure - special shows are already scheduled for Chrissy Field and the Jewish Museum. But still. Danielle and I were longtime members of MOMA, and if I still lived in San Francisco I'd be furious about this (I'm grumpy enough about it in Seattle). Me? I don't have much of a problem when I visit a museum to simply exit one building and walk a short distance to another if that's where the art is. By God, maybe a chance for some outdoor pieces on a pathway connecting the two buildings, what do I know? Anyway, point being, get to MOMA and look at that giant Rothko or whatever Johns or Rauschenberg is on display before the joint closes in the middle of June for thirty months. I plan to stop by during my early May San Francisco visit...
IBL:mm
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Oh sure, and the Met in NY is going to close and remodel before putting up the Lauder Cubist collection. Go to Google maps and see what a hodge-podge their architecture is. They're just tired of it. Eminent domain. They gotta bull-doze the whole thing. They want "Seamless". They've learned so much from the casino's in Vegas. It's all about what's new. The marketeers keep saying, "Just imagine the grand opening..." And while they're at it, they will commission new art to fill in those pesky discontinuities in art history. Seamless I tell you.
ReplyDeleteYes, I knew about it, fortunately in time not to renew my membership, though they're trying desperately to get me (well, not specifically me, but members) to re-up. If you saw the recent articles in (I think) the New Yorker and the NY Review about the architectural firm Snohetta, there were discussions about the plans. The "pop up" exhibits sound kind of desperate.
ReplyDeletePatrick - did not see that article in the New Yorker. Or, rather, I DID see it but did not read it. Just saw a small blurb in the March Art in America and had to read it twice because I just couldn't believe it...
ReplyDeleteGlad you didn't re-up...
Bryan - I can't wait for the grand opening of OUR casino/museum. Just imagine it...
ReplyDeleteNo pain no gain.
ReplyDelete