Collective Vision: Creating a Contemporary Art Museum

ISBN 10: 0933856423 ISBN 13: 9780933856424

Synopsis

It is said that art reveals the heart of humankind, architecture the soul of civilization. This summer, heart and soul will merge in the new building for Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art. Designed by famous Berlin architect Josef Paul Kleihues (his first U.S. commission), the new MCA stands beside both celebrated Michigan Avenue and the city's stunning lake shore.

This book examines the entire process of starting and then dramatically expanding a contemporary art museum, from the tumultuous sixties to the cusp of a new century. The MCA's achievements, such as Christo's first wrapping of a public building (1969), Frida Kahlo's first U.S. exhibition (1978), and Jeff Koons's first full-scale museum exhibition (1988) are discussed, accompanied by historic photographs.

In his essay "Josef Paul Kleihues: Chicago and Berlin, " art and architecture critic Franz Schulze considers the conceptual framework of Kleihues's design for the MCA, as well as the architect's adaptive reuse of the Hamburger Bahnhof train station to house Berlin's Museum of Contemporary Art.

Finally, color reproductions of 40 works from the vast MCA permanent collection are juxtaposed with informative text on more than 30 featured artists, including Francis Bacon, Leon Golub, Jasper Johns, Sol LeWitt, Bruce Nauman, Ad Reinhardt, Mark Rothko, Cindy Sherman, and Andy Warhol.

The sum of these parts is a fascinating volume that thoroughly examines the very idea of an art museum according to its corresponding ideal: presenting, interpreting, and collecting the art of our time for a diverse audience.

About this title

Synopsis

Coinciding with the opening of the new Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, this book examines the entire process of starting and then dramatically expanding a contemporary art museum, from the 1960s up to the eve of the 21st century. Achievements of the MCA over the years are dis cussed and 40 colour reproductions from the MCA collection are juxtaposed with text on more than 30 featured artists. The volume explores the very idea of an art museum according to its corresponding ideal: presenting, interpreting and collecting.

Edition details

• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0933856423
• ISBN 13: 9780933856424
• Binding: Library Binding